What order should you taste wine varieties in? Should you wear perfume to a wine tasting? What about spitting in that bucket? The answers to questions like so might seem obvious to those who frequent wineries or wine tasting events, but for many newbie vino lovers, the world of wine might feel a bit daunting.
We asked local wine expert Corey Zamora, CSW, to provide us with his top three wine tasting do’s and don’ts to help out. Bookmark this handy page for your next tannin adventure!
COREY’S WINE TESTING DO’S:
- Do use the best glassware that you can afford. It really does make a difference.
- Do go in order. When you’re trying multiple selections, make sure to start with the lightest wine and conclude with the richest wine. If you have any sweet wines in the lineup, make sure to use those at the very end. Treat them almost like dessert.
- Do use a dump or a spit bucket. It may not be pretty to look at, but if you really want to properly taste multiple selections in one sitting, you will need one, I promise. Otherwise, your senses will be dulled by the end; you won’t know what you’re tasting.
COREY’S WINE TASTING DON’TS:
- Don’t wear heavy perfume or cologne to a wine tasting. You are going to mask the taste and smell for you and anyone around you.
- Don’t keep your wine in your vehicle for very long before a tasting. It’s important to realize how delicate wine is and how warm it is in South Texas. Just an hour in your vehicle on a day over 75 degrees can do major damage to your wine.
- Don’t think that you don’t like a certain varietal. Chances are you probably just haven’t had the grape you think you don’t like from the right area. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me they don’t like Chardonnay because it’s too rich and oaky, but that tends to be a New World style of Chardonnay, and once I introduce them to a European Chardonnay such as Chablis, it’s amazing to see their faces when they realize how different the same grape can be when made in two very different places.
