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Get More Out of Every Glass

Or "That idiot really looks like he's enjoying his wine."

by Mike Supple
published: 16 Dec 2009       | Comments

You enjoy drinking wine whether you're at home or out at a restaurant. You've seen people swirling their glasses in elaborate circles, dipping their noses deep into the bowl, daintily sipping and swishing wine in their mouths while making idiotic sounds. Are they better than you? Definitely not. But aside from the few morons that just do this for show, they probably are enjoying each and every glass just a little bit more than you are.

Fortunately, there are a few easy things you can do to step your appreciation game up quite a bit without making you look like a tool in front of friends, family and co-workers. And if you're appreciating your wine more, then you're getting a bigger bang for your buck - which means that just a little knowledge is making you smarter financially. Or at least you can tell yourself that while trying to justify your monthly wine budget.

1. The Pour - Don't fill the glass - start with about 4 or 5 ounces. This is a more crucial part of enjoyment than many people realize. If there is adequate wine for you or your group, then you don't need to worry about running out before you've had your fill. Wine glasses have a bowl shape not so you can fit more in, but so the wine can interact with the air more easily. This will improve the aromas and the flavors.


2. The Look - Give your wine a quick glance. Does it look like something you'd actually want to drink? Is it bright or cloudy? A nice fresh red and purple or a sludgy brick and brown? For sparkling wines, you can also note the size of the bubbles. The smaller the bubbles the more likely it is the wine will feel creamy and soft in your mouth.


3. The Swirl - This doesn't have to be a big, showy event that results in a two-tone shirt for the rest of the evening. Just move the glass around in a circle a few times to get the wine moving. As mentioned in tip #1, swirling puts the wine in contact with the air. Air reacts with the wine releasing more aromas and softening the tannins.


4. The Sniff - Smelling what you're drinking is a major part of getting the most out of each glass. While your tongue only picks up 5 flavors - sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami - the average human nose can pick up hundreds, if not thousands, of different smells. So stick your nose in the glass and take a deep breath. Does it smell good? Do you recognize any of the aromas? Fruits, spices, oak?


5. The Drink - This one's simple. Just take a drink. If you really want to, you can swirl it around in your mouth for a while, but unless you're really qualitatively evaluating a wine, there isn't much point. Take a drink and the wine will fill your mouth and cover your tongue. Enjoy it.


6. The Think - After you swallow, pause for a minute to think about the wine. Does it make the food taste better or worse? Does it linger pleasantly in the back of your mouth or does the taste just disappear immediately? Do your teeth and tongue ache for an immediate toothbrushing? Do you want to take another drink right away?


7. The Finish - Decide for yourself if you like the wine, and this doesn't just refer to the taste. Was it worth the money? Was it better than you expected? Did it change your mind about a particular kind of grape? Does it dominate the evening or blend in as part of a fun overall memory? Should you remember it and try to buy it again?

None of these steps have to be something that makes you feel awkward. With a little practice, you can subtly run through these without anyone around you even noticing. And by taking your time with each glass, you can rest assured that you're getting just as much out of it as the round, red-nosed, pompous fool swirling his glass in a giant figure-eight while telling the story of the expensive bottle he once shared with the Dauphin of France. Because really, who drinks with dead aristocracy?