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Wine is very sensitive to temperature, and wrapping a hand around the bowl of the glass can cause the wine to warm, affecting the taste. To taste wine as it was meant to be tasted, hold the glass by its stem.
–Gently swirling wine within a glass allows the liquid to aerate after being pressurized within a bottle. Aeration forces oxygen into the wine and unleashes the flavor.
–The purpose of a wine tasting is to taste wine rather than to drink it. By allowing the wine to touch every corner of your palate, and then gently spitting it out, you allow the wine’s vapors to exit through your nostrils, giving you a well-rounded taste.
–Drier, lighter wines tend to have less residual sugars than their heavier, sweeter counterparts. When planning your tasting, aim to sample light wines toward the beginning of your experience and dark wines toward the end for the best effect.
