Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
Wine Tasting Etiquette
General Rules of Thumb when wine tasting:
- Do not wear perfume, cologne, or body sprays. Wine tasting is a sensory experience. This includes both taste and smell. Coming into a tasting room smelling of perfumes and colognes will ruin the tasting experience for other patrons. Be mindful not to introduce any unwanted aromatics to the tasting room.
- Cigarettes, coffee, toothpaste, chewing gum, mouthwash, and other such things are going to ruin your palette momentarily. If you have smoked a cigarette, drank your morning coffee, and/or brushed your teeth, eat a cracker or piece of bread to prepare your palette for wine tasting. Cigarette smoke also effects others in the tasting room if your clothing has absorbed the smell.
- Mind your manners. Be polite and don't expect to drink all you want. It is a "tasting" afterall.
- Don't be loud, don't be obnoxious, don't be unruly, don't swear. Many small, boutique wineries are family-run. When visiting a wine tasting room consider yourself a guest. The owners and staff are proud of their facility and want everyone to enjoy their visit.
- Don't care for the wine? That's ok! Just be respectful and dont make a scene about it. Whether it is the winemaker pouring wine for you or not, it is not acceptable to be rude. The tasting room staff takes pride in the wines they are sharing with you and it is not kind to go on about how much you dislike it. Not everyone has the same palette, and it is absolutely ok to not care for a particular wine. Just keep in mind that the person pouring for you could be the person who made it, a family member, a friend, or simply a person that works there and respects the wine and the winemaker.
- Be open minded and put aside any pre-conceived opinions. It may be true that you’ve never tasted a rosé you’ve liked, but go ahead and try what is being offered. There is always the dump bucket, and if the wine simply is not for you, no one will be offended. Refer back to the being respectful rule.
- If you appear drunk, the tasting room attendant is not permitted, by law, to serve you even if it is a tasting. Drunken behavior has no place in the atmosphere of the tasting room. Wineries deal with this behavior in different ways, most often you will be asked to leave.
- Don't ask to revisit a wine if you have no intention of purchasing any wines.
- Finally, whatever you do, do not act like a wine snob.
How to Taste Wine Like a Pro
With a little help from Southwest Wine Guide, anyone can taste wine like a pro!
- When the wine is poured, look at it, especially around the edges. Holding the glass by the stem and tilting the glass makes it easier to see the way the color changes from the center to the edges.
- Sniff the wine so that you can compare the fragrance after swirling it.
- Gently swirl the wine in the glass. This increases the surface area of the wine allowing it to reach your nose. It also allows for oxygen into the wine, helping the aroma to open up.
- While swirling the wine, note how slowly it runs back down the side of the glass. This is how you note the wine’s Viscosity. More viscous wines are known to have “legs” and are most likely to have higher alcohol content.
- Sniff. Hold the wine glass a few inches from your nose and then let your nose go into the wine glass. Note any fragrance you may smell.
- Sip. Take a sip of the wine and roll it in your mouth before swallowing to make sure that it is exposed to all of your taste buds. You may detect sweet, sour, savory, bitter or salty. Here is where you may also detect texture.
- Aspirate through the wine. Pursing your lips, draw some air into your mouth and exhale through the nose. This process opens the aromas of the wine, allowing them to reach your nose. The nose is the only place where you can truly detect the aroma of the wine.
- Take a second sip of the wine. This time, bring in some air as you sip. Note any subtle differences in flavor or texture.
- After swallowing, note the aftertaste and how long the finish lasts.
- Write down your experience. Most wine tasting rooms will provide a wine tasting scorecard or sheet to jot down your impressions of the wine you tasted. Wines have four basic characteristics: taste, tannins, alcohol and acidity. Aging the wine softens the Tannins. Acidity will soften during the lifetime of the wine. Alcohol stays the same no matter how old the wine gets.