Wine Tasting Etiquette
Making the transition to drinking wine, particularly good wine, can be an intimidating undertaking for many potential wine enthusiasts. Whether stranded in Box Wine Country or an enlightened beer drinker looking to expand to new horizons, the culture surrounding fine wine can be off putting to newcomers who are unfamiliar with the proper customs and traditions of wine tasting. The often lofty price of fine wine has bred a stigma of snobbery around wine connoisseurs, when in reality, enjoying a good glass of wine can bring people together. In order to enjoy wine culture, or even host your own wine tasting event, there is no need to overextend your pocket book, selecting only the top shelf bottles. Wine tasting is about community, not exclusivity. Here are a few helpful tips and reminders to blend in with the wine tasting veterans.
- Enjoy, but don’t over enjoy Wine tasting is about sampling, not chugging. If you enter a wine tasting with the sole intention of getting as drunk as possible, perhaps a kegger would be a more suitable venue. Not only is it considered rude to be overly intoxicated, overindulging yourself means less wine for other guests.
- Use the spit bucket It may be counterintuitive to spit while both inside and around people you might want to impress, however, the spit bucket is a commonly acceptable part of wine tasting. While it is by no means required that you spit out every sip of wine you enjoy, spitting out the wine can help maintain a reasonable level of sobriety while still getting to taste a high volume of bottles. Many newcomers think spitting out wine is a sign of disapproval. This could not be further from the truth.
- Use common sense Just like any white tablecloth affair, remember the basic manners were taught as a child. No elbows or feet on the table, use a coaster, etc. Also, be aware of your surroundings. Be sociable, but stick to appropriate conversation topics.
