Wine Tasting: Proper Wine Tasting Etiquette

Wine tastings are designed to offer casual wine drinkers the opportunity to sample a range of wines. Events can be seated, seminar-like classes, or they may be more like games with the customers roaming on lightly. Compared to a wine seminar, participants in a wine tasting are more likely have different levels of knowledge. Tastings do not come in levels based on experience, they are one size fits all.



Browse through the tasting room wine properly. Proper etiquette says to engage the greeter and follow their guidance. This person will provide information on what happens in the cellar as well as where you can get the guide to wine tasting for the day.



The greeter will provide you with a wine tasting menu of which you’re going to want to review. It is good to make note of the wines you desire to try in order to expedite the process and not waste the server’s time while you try to make a decision. This just helps the wine tasting go smoothly without buying too much of the server’s time.



Approach to the tasting bar and greet the staff member who will help explain the wines. It is perfectly okay to ask questions about the person and what varieties you may prefer that perhaps are not listed on the menu. However, try to stay away from requesting bottles not on the menu be opened just so you could have a taste. This is often not a huge deal but if you keep doing this, eventually they will become agitated.



Listen to the winemaker discuss each wine and ask questions. Try not to seem like you’re there just for the drink. Show interested in the winery itself, as well as the flavor, color of the wine and how the grapes are grown. The wineries are proud of their product and proud of what they’ve built and want to share it with their tasters. Show an interest.



Try to focus on wines you want to learn about. It is acceptable to skip a wine on the menu if you’re uninterested in it. Likewise, if you have some wine in your glass that you don’t care for, it is okay to not finish it.



They will provide you with water which is used to both clear your palate as well as to rinse your glass. Rinsing the glass helps in the transition from white to red wine so the integrity of the wine isn’t tainted by mixture. You’ll often find that a lot of tasting rooms have a container similar to a bucket so you can empty your glass of wine before trying a new wine.



It is recommended to not swallow all the wine in your glass because by glass 4 or 5, you’re senses may be affected by the alcohol and you won’t experience the wine in the correct light. Tasters sometimes are able spit out their wine right in the drains. But in more elegant wine rooms, the availability of a small bucket with ice water is there for you to spit out your wine.



It is acceptable to share your opinions of the wine but be courteous to others with you and don’t disclose your opinions until they have already tried it. Serious tasters like to form their opinions independently and will not appreciate someone interrupting their concentration while they taste.



These rules apply to most wineries you’ll taste at. Obviously each place may carry their own standards but you should be safe with the tips listed above. Have a great wine tasting adventure next time you go out.



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