If attending at a winery, do take the time first to find out about the winery’s history. This might involve a tour of the place, with the summer help giving you a little walk-around and five-minute speech. Read the brochures. Studying the history of a place is part of appreciating the romance and magic of wine; you’ll always learn something new and fascinating.

In the actual tasting, progress through the wines in order from lightest to heaviest. In fact, whenever you’ll be sampling several wines in a row (or even when you’re serving them), follow the general rule:

* Young wines before mature ones.
* Light wines before heavy ones.
* Chilled wines before chambered wines.
* Low alcohol before high alcohol.
* Dry wines before sweet wines.

If you don’t know which is which, ask the winery staff, who will only be too happy to point them out. They will understand that part of the purpose of wine-tasting is to learn more about wine, so don’t be shy if you want to ask questions.

Between wines, it is customary to either rinse with water or nibble on a piece of bread or pastry to cleanse the palate. Some wineries or events will give you a small sample – almost a “shot” – and others will let you have a glass or two of one wine if you fancy it. Do try to restrain yourself! Several wines in a row can build up alcohol levels unexpectedly fast. Sip small amounts of each one, and by all means take your time.

Now you get to find out one of the mysteries of wine: why do they use those funny-shaped glasses? Well, when you get a new glass of wine, swirl it around gently just like you see the aristocrats do. Now hold the glass still. Watch the edge of the liquid as it stops moving; do you see little tendrils of wine clinging to the sides of the glass? Those are called “legs”, and the more legs a wine has clinging to the sides of the glass after you swirl it, the more alcohol it contains.

A second purpose to the swirling motion is that this allows the wine to “breathe”. So after it’s settled a little, inhale with your nose over the glass. About half of how a wine tastes is tied up with how it smells, and the aroma of wine is an intended part of the experience.

And you thought they were doing that just to look like sophisticated show-offs!

Now you’re ready for a taste. Sip a little less than a mouthful, and roll it around on your tongue. Hit every taste bud you have with it, even under your tongue. Let the vapors from it permeate your sinuses. Now swallow – don’t spit, as that’s only something that judges do and even then they’d rather swallow if they think they can get by. Let the aftertaste come to your palate. Now’s the time to voice your reaction: how was it? Don’t be shy about your opinion; every taster can tell the staff something new about their wine.

If you’re tasting several wines, take a break every now and then and stroll around. The property of most wineries is worth a walk just to soak up the scenery and atmosphere. If it’s a social occasion, all the more reason to pace yourself as you socialize. At a winery, there will usually be a time at the end of the tasting where they give you the opportunity to buy something. By all means, feel free to fall in love with a bottle or two and adopt it!

By the way, would you believe that there are people who do this for a living? There are people blessed with “perfect pitch” in tasting, who take courses and get a diploma and everything, and then wineries hire them to give their expert opinion about the wine. How’s that for the life?