While most people certainly associate the word "etiquette" with fancy tea parties held by the Queen of England herself, some basic protocols are essential to ensure the most positive wine tasting experience.
Wine tasting and going to wineries is a fun way to get familiar with your wine preferences and try new wines.
Here are the dos and don'ts you need to know!
Don't Wear a Strong Fragrance
A critical part of the wine tasting experience is the smell. The olfactory (smell) senses are linked to your taste senses, so if you wear an overpowering cologne or even after-shave, you will ruin the experience for yourself and others.
People tasting wine (or trying to!) will move away from you if you reek the place up, regardless of how expensive or high-quality the perfume may be.
Do Go in with a Blank Slate
Perhaps every time you've tried white wine, for some reason or the other, you've always disliked it. Does this mean you should never try new white wines, especially those in a winery?
Absolutely not!
Part of the wine tasting experience is being open and ready to try new flavors even if you had preconceived notions in the past. Wipe the slate clean because not every wine is the same, even if it falls under the same category as the one you've had before.
Do Cleanse Your Palate Regularly
After each wine tasting, you want to remove the previous wine's taste from your mouth so that you can taste the new one accurately. To cleanse your palate, make sure to sip some water or eat some of the hors d'oeuvres.
Don't Eat A Bunch of Hors D'oeuvres
Remember that these small food items aren't there to serve as meals. Instead, as previously mentioned, they're there simply to remove the previous wine's taste from your tongue so that you can taste the next one.
After all, what kind of a meal is a sole cracker?
Enjoy a full 4-5 course meal later in your tour!
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