Think wine tastings are for snobs and freeloaders? Get over your vino phobia and get a taste of the good life. Whether you’re a novice or an aficionado, you probably have a few questions, but given the fussy etiquette surrounding the culture of wine, maybe you’re too embarrassed to ask. Lucky for you, we have no shame, and got ourselves schooled by Andy Fisher, president of Astor Wines & Spirits and Astor Center. Here’s his rundown of the dos and don’ts, and just remember—if anyone snubs you over your wine fumbling, be sure to remind them that their pretentiousness is so passé.


The Basics
"I think the first most important thing is how to address the wine and how to taste the wine itself. Always hold the glass by the stem. If you hold it by the bowl, your fingerprints get on the bowl and you can’t see the color of the wine as well, and your hands are going to throw the temperature of the wine off. Then you want to address the wine. Put the glass down before swirling; it’s very easy to control it on a surface. By swirling, you’re allowing a certain portion of the wine to come up around the side and evaporate, as well as allowing the surface of the wine to be exposed to air. And what you’re really doing is aerating it and through that process, releasing the bouquet."

Lesson Learned: If you don’t want to look like a jackass, figure out how to hold a glass of wine without spilling or smudging it.

Smell and Taste
"Smelling the wine is an intricate part to figuring out what it tastes like. Tip the glass, and get your nose all the way in there. And then there’s the tasting—professional tasters whistle the wine across their tongues, and the reason is to get the wine all over the taste buds so you can evaluate the taste. You don’t have to whistle it but you do want to get a film of the wine across your tongue. After you swallow, think about the aftertaste, what flavors remain, and how you feel about the wine.”

Lesson Learned: It’s OK, even recommended, to smell wine before gulping it down. But please, don’t feel the need to gurgle it.

The Cork
"When you order wine at a restaurant and the wine is brought over by a waiter or sommelier, incidentally, one of the funny things is the waiter always puts the cork down next to you. But there really is not something you’re supposed to be doing with the cork to examine the wine. It is not a part of the process that you have to worry about.”

Lesson Learned: Only dumbasses smell the cork.

Wine Temperature
"What happens in a lot of restaurants is that the wine has been over-refrigerated, and it comes to the table so cold that you can’t taste it. After you’ve tasted it, you can say to your waiter, ‘The wine is plenty cold enough, we can just leave the bottle on the table.’ Be willing to assert yourself and don’t let that freezing cold wine make it into an ice bucket. Reds are usually served too warm—even red wines should be served on the cool side of room temperature, not at 70 degrees. It should feel refreshing on the tongue, not hot and acidic. Let your taste dictate the temperature."

Lesson Learned: Don’t be afraid to tell the waiter to step off.

Taste and Body
"The first thing you want to judge is the fruit. You really want to look at the bouquet—what are you smelling in the nose and tasting on the palate? The second thing to look for is acidity, which has to do with how the wine pairs. Wines which are high in acidity work well with foods that are salty. The third thing that is important is body, which is the alcohol content. When you swirl the wine, you can see lines coming down the side of the glass, which are referred to as ‘legs.’ The thicker the legs, the higher the alcohol content is, and that’s important when you’re eating food with wine. You want to have light-bodied wines with lighter foods, and heavier-bodied wines with heavier foods."

Lesson Learned: The thicker the “legs,” the cheaper your date will be.

Slow Down
"The thing not to do is stress about this stuff. Nobody ever got hurt matching food and wine. I would say relaxing is probably the most important thing. If there’s one don’t, it’s don’t miss the chance to look at every wine that you’re served. Look at the color, smell it, taste it, think about the aftertaste, and make an evaluation. It helps to build your own mental vocabulary of your own taste."

Lesson Learned: Don’t freak out so much about ordering that you forget to enjoy the wine.

Tasting Etiquette
"Imagine you go to a wine tasting and the person next to you is wafting Shalimar, it’s really hard to smell that wine. So as a matter of courtesy, try to keep the scented lotions, perfumes, and body sprays to a minimum."

Lesson Learned: Axe body spray doesn’t pair with anything.


Meet Andy Fisher on June 9th for The Elements of Wine tasting class at Astor Center.

~ Selena Ricks