How to become a better wine taster

The Spit

Wine has a singular purpose – To be drunk. As a beverage, its intended purpose is to be consumed (via the mouth). The peculiarity of the vinous beverage is that it’s one of the most infinitely variable drinks on the planet – the interplay between fruit, oak, acid, tannins, winemaking influence, sugar etc serves to create easily the most complex drink on the planet.

So that we can better understand this capricious stuff, we need to appreciate how different regions, winemakers, oak maturation or varieties can produce such divergent end products. The way we do this is by the bizarre ritual that is the wine tasting.

The feature this issue is perhaps the most important skill that any taster can master, the one skill that will allow you to remain upright no matter how many wines you drink. – The spit.

Spitting itself is considered to be a dirty, messy habit, but if you want to still be a accurate taster by wine number 24, its almost a given that you can’t empty every glass down the hatch. Rather, in more serious wine circumstances, spitting is the most appropriate action. In France, its almost a given, with tasters spitting with aplomb in the vineyard, in gutters or even on the floor of the barrel hall. The French even have a name for it - recracher

At first it’s a serious challenge to spit out wine – Why waste good wine? But once you get the hang of it, you will only appear more sophisticated (and more sober). Some people have also argued that by spitting it out, you are not getting to fully enjoy the wine or appreciate the finish. In truth, as we have no taste receptors in our throat, the only taste sensation would be the alcohol warmth on the way down.

Most Australian wineries cater for spitters by integrating spittoons into their cellar door designs or at least providing plenty of buckets/containers to spit into. Considering our very strict drink driving laws & Responsible Service of Alcohol legislation it is of no surprise that pours are small and spitting accepted. At larger wine trade shows and wine festivals they will even use plastic bins filled with sawdust (reduces smell and splashback). In some US cellar doors (where payments for tasting are the norm) many staff will be more likely to let you try an extra wine or two if they recognise you are serious enough to be spitting (and not just another freeloading pisshead).

So what makes a good spit? Natalie Mclean of Nat Decants puts it best

‘The art of spitting (or expectorating, if you prefer) can be comfortably mastered at home. Start in the shower, then move to the bathroom sink, and finally, when you're ready to work without a net, graduate to the dining room table. The technique is simple: when you've finished tasting your wine, suck in your cheeks, purse your lips into a slightly open O, lean forward and expel a steady stream into the bucket. It's considered bad form to dribble, spray or ricochet.’

The best spitters I have ever seen are truly remarkable in their ability to hit targets from metres away – in wide, winey arcs of fluid that fly on a predetermined course and hit the target spittoon/bucket/winemakers leg with such precision that the wine looks to be travelling by wire. The better the spitter, the more defined, accurate and longer the spit (with the least amount of dribble).

Finally, the most important thing for novice spitters to consider before they leave home is attire – Only a novice (or someone very confident in their spit abilities) wears light coloured clothes at a wine tasting!

For more information, check out this glorious article on wine spitting:
http://www.slate.com/id/2071619/

Cheers,

Andrew Graham