Why We Swirl, Sniff and Sip
When we do wine tours we almost always go into the first tasting with the clients because this gives us an idea about how much they know of wine tasting. Since many people who hire guides are visiting for the first time the majority of our clients are unfamiliar with tasting room etiquette. In other words, they don’t know why we swirl, sniff and sip the wine in the way that we do. They don’t know why we hold the glass the way we do, and it may all seem very artificial,l but it is all about three important things, the nose, the tongue and the eyes.
Let’s start with the glass, which is typically made from crystal, because unlike glass, crystal is quite rough at the molecular level. When you swirl the wine around a crystal goblet those little points pull the wine apart, exposing it to oxygen and releasing the scent and flavors. The wine has been locked away from oxygen to preserve those qualities, and it takes some nudging to change the wine’s mood. Big red wines with lots of tannin take more nudging than the light whites.
The best way to swirl is to set the base of the goblet on the bar, put your fingers on the base and vigorously swirl the wine, each time, before you immediately sniff the wine, and then when you are ready, sip. The tapered top of the glass holds onto the bouquet so that it can be delivered to your nose, which can pick up 2200 different flavors that we know about. The tongue in comparison recognizes five major flavors, but what we call the mouth feel is very important to the experience of the wine. A typical pour is about two sips, which stretched out is enough to evaluate most wines.
Why don’t you hold the glass in front of you and swirl it with a flick of the wrist? Because the chance of the wine appearing on your shirt front is much higher, especially as the day goes on! Speaking of holding the glass, the reason we hold by the stem or the base is twofold. First we don’t want to change the temperature of the wine which is poured pretty close to its optimum. Second, we use the glass for the entire tasting and smudged finger prints make it hard to enjoy the wine’s color, which can be both distinctive and gorgeous.
The dump buckets are there for you to pour out your excess wine; you don’t have to taste it all. You can spit the excess out if you want, but almost no one touring California wineries does that. Wine professionals have to in order to maintain some sobriety and the clarity of thought and palate necessary to do a fair analysis. But, folks on vacation don’t want to spit, which is why they smartly hire drivers like me. When we go touring on our day off and I get to taste the wine, I carry a small, plastic cup that will fold into my pocket. That’s what I use for spitting, while I step away from the group and analyze the flavor. Then I dump that out. It’s more polite.
Final tip: Wineries with big, impressive red wines may pour using gigantic goblets. They are designed so that you can swirl thoroughly, and then hold them almost sideways, while you stick your nose into the glass, close to the liquid. Don’t get your nose wet! Big reds often mean high alcohol, which has its own flavor and rises into the upper balloon of the glass, while you smell the fruit flavors below. When you see long lists of tasting notes, this is what the taster has done, smelled the fruit, not the alcohol. And no one minds if you have a slightly blue nose, at least they know that you’re serious about appreciating their wine.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com
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