Your First Time: 7 Wine Tasting Dos and Don’ts
7 Wine Tasting Dos and Don’ts
So, you’ve discovered the lovely world of wine. If you’re in for a trip to Traverse City’s wine country, you know that going on a wine tasting is a must –but you’re just not sure what to do (and not to do)! Wine tasting is an experience that commands a certain sort of elegance, wherein it’s essential for absolutely anyone going for it to make sure not to look like a fool – and that involves knowing what to do.
Wine tasting in Traverse City is a wonderful adventure for everyone – but there are a few very simple, very important etiquette rules to follow, and they make the difference between being a polite visitor, and a rude intruder.
1. To start you off – don’t wear cologne or perfume! This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind. By all means, put on your choice of deodorant – but make sure to keep the overpowering scents at home. Wine tasting is a sensual experience that necessitates the involvement of sight, smell and taste. That means catching the subtle scents of a wine – strong cologne or perfume interferes with that, and makes it very, very difficult to figure out exactly what’s in a vintage.
2. On a similar line, it’s recommended not to chew gum during or before a wine tasting. The sugar, xylitol, sweeteners or other additives in the gum hugely affect the way wine tastes, ruining the purpose of your wine tasting adventure.
3. On that note, do eat a hearty, fatty breakfast! Wine tasting involves consuming your fair share of wine. Drinking any sort of alcohol on an empty stomach is a big no-no!
4. A fatty breakfast does the best job of reducing the effects of alcohol, since the alcohol binds to the fat and thus doesn’t enter the bloodstream as readily. Keep that in mind the next time you and your friends challenge each other to a drinking game!
5. Keeping that in mind, do spill the wine! It is customary to spill wine onto the ground either if you do not like it, or if you’re fine with a small sip and don’t want to lose yourself to the glass. The winery staff will not be offended!
6. You can also spit, if you’ve got a long day of tasting ahead of you. Either your alcohol tolerance isn’t as it was in your hay day, or you’re simply not cut out for dozens and dozens of sips of fine wine – spitting during a wine tasting is absolutely expected!
Other than that, with a little respect and politeness, you’re good to go! You’ll have the time of your life at our Traverse City winery. Even better, you’ll be in no danger of looking foolish. Click HERE to book your wine tour!