Have you ever found yourself in a restaurant and for some reason you’re the one who gets selected to taste the wine before it’s served ?
How do you feel?
• Is this a moment of panic?
• Do you bluff your way through hoping that no one will find out that you don’t really know what on earth you’re doing?
• Do you pretend to be in charge of the situation, pronounce confidently that "Yes. The wine’s fine" whilst all the time secretly praying that some smart so-and-so isn’t going to tell you, a few seconds later, that you have made a complete hash of things?
We've all been there, so don’t worry. Here are a few tips that will take the mystery out of the entire process.
Before we start however there’s one thing I should clarify ...
Whenever I am hosting a champagne tasting event someone almost always asks me if you’re supposed to taste champagne before pouring the rest of the bottle, in the same way as you do with wine. Well, champagne has a certain magic that most wines don’t have, but when all is said and done, champagne is only a wine with bubbles in it and so the answer to the question is Yes you should certainly taste champagne before pouring the rest of the bottle.
But what exactly should you do ?
First let’s clear up two misconceptions.
1.)
• When the waiter pours you a little wine to taste, you don’t actually have to taste it. All you really need to do is smell the wine
Good wine reveals a vast array of aromas, but when the bottle’s only just been opened the aromas haven’t really 'woken up', so to coax them into action you have to agitate the wine. That’s why people swirl the wine around inside their glass.
Here’s a simple and effective way to do this :
• Leave the glass flat on the table, hold the stem and gently move the base of the glass round in a small circle. This will swirl the wine around in the glass and release the aromas.
You can pick the glass up to do this if you prefer, but I find it’s far easier to get just the right circular motion if you leave the glass on the table, plus it’s avoids spilling the wine (not a good move if you’re trying to impress).
2.)
What the waiter is asking you is to check is NOT whether you like the wine, but whether the wine is in good condition or not.
(Really and truly a good wine waiter – or sommelier – should do this his or herself. Their job is to know about wine, including whether or not it’s in good condition, but hey, I suppose it’s tradition to ask the person who is paying)
Anyway back to what I was saying...
If the wine is not good, you’re justified in sending it back, but I don’t think you can reasonably do that unless there is actually something wrong with the wine.
So how do you know and what are you sniffing for ?
If the wine is off, you will almost certainly be able to detect a smell that is musty, sulphury, a bit like wet cardboard, or cork – all unpleasant smells.
If you detect a smell like this in your wine then simply give the glass back to the waiter and ask him or her to get another bottle.
If you’re uncertain about the smell by all means take a sip of the wine if you wish, but that probably won’t help to make up your mind.
You can also ask the sommelier for a second opinion but don’t worry that he won’t agree with you - a good sommelier is not going to argue with you, (unless you’ve already sent two or three bottles back).
There’s an old adage in the hotel industry 'the customer is not always right, but that’s not the point!'
So, swirl, sniff and be confident in your judgement and the sommelier and everyone at the table with go along with your obvious expertise.
Until next time
Jiles Halling
The U.K.'s leading champagne host
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