How should you swirl and smell wine?
There’s no perfect way to swirl a glass of wine, but the goal is to get the wine spinning quickly in the glass to release the wine’s aroma compounds and produce legs, all without spilling any wine.
The easiest way to swirl wine (especially if you’ve never given it a try before) is with the help of a table:
- First, make sure you have plenty of room at the top of the glass so the wine isn’t in danger of spilling when you swirl it.
- Start by placing your glass down on the table.
- Place your thumb and forefinger at the base of the glass’s stem while it’s sitting on the table.
- Then, draw small circles on the table with your glass, gripping the base of the stem tightly.
- Continue swirling for about 20-30 seconds.
- Bring it up to your nose and inhale the smell of the wine.
As you get better and more comfortable, you can try swirling your glass while you’re holding it, without the help of a table.
Tasting tip: Regardless of whether you’re using a table or not, always hold your glass by the stem rather than the bowl. Holding your wine glass by the bowl not only obstructs your view of the wine you’re tasting, but it also has the potential to alter the wine’s temperature, which impacts its taste.