Ask for A Spit Bucket!
The wineries will all have spit buckets which you may use to empty your glass, or to spit, if you decide that you do not wish to swallow the wine. This is perfectly acceptable and permits you to use your finite capacity for actually drinking wine to ones that you might enjoy more. On occasion, the buckets are not at hand – please do not be shy about requesting one!
Wine Tasting 101
Assessing the Wine
Okay, now you’ve swirled and smelled and sipped. You savored at the end, and perhaps you even spat out the wine. What does it all mean?
Generally, experts assess a wine by reviewing its balance, complexity, and its finish.
Balance
Refers to how the basic elements of the wine, acidity, fruit, alcohol, and tannins, are balanced. Does one of these elements outshine or overshadow the others? For sweet wines, it is very important to balance sweetness with sufficient acidity.
Complexity
Complexity: Simple wines will appear to be one-dimensional, while complex wines will have multiple aromas and flavors that may even change as you are tasting them. Complex wines are therefore not easy to describe with one word. They tend to be complicated and even layered with multiple nuances of flavor.
Finish
Refers to the length of time the essence of the taste of the wine lingers on your tongue or in your mouth. A wine that dissipates quickly, that leaves you a fleeting memory of few seconds, is not as good as a wine whose flavor profile remains for up to a minute. Additionally, the taste of that finish, if not itself balanced, will affect one’s memory of the wine.