Those who swallow

It's fascinating to come across wine buyers and sommeliers who do not spit. They swallow. They believe that spitting doesn't give you the full experience of the wine -- not from an inebriating perspective but a taste/smell/mouthfeel perspective. It's especially important for them to swallow the wine they're evaluating in order to appreciate the customer's experience as well as it's possible to do so.

Has any one of you in the biz got a point of view on this? I'll share my 2 cents after you've put yours in.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Comments

[Paolo]

I could not spit the effort of one winemaker to produce the fluid!!! I can not wait to see u 2nite!

[Molly]

I am a wine buyer and I do not, for the majority of the time, spit. When I am tasting in my shop with my wine reps, I take several smaller sips, and I do swallow. However, when I am at large trade tastings when I am tasting a larger number of wines, or if I have driven to a particular tasting, I will spit.

It started mostly because I'm not that graceful, and I really figured I'd make a mess by spitting, so I adapted the way I taste wine. My coworker takes large mouthfuls and spits...so we cover all ground.

[Benito]

Last year NPR did a story on the Muslim owner of a Los Angeles wine shop who doesn't even taste wine--he merely swirls and sniffs:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17044236

[fredric koeppel]

I can't get through a heavy day of tasting without spitting. As Molly says, at a trade tasting, you have to spit. My usual rule is swallow the first sip; spit the second. If I'm sitting down to taste a few wines, especially fine ones, I tend not to spit.

[Strappo]

Molly, I think "we cover all ground" is one of the funniest lines you could have come up with.

I'm pretty sloppy too and when I spit, like at a big trade tasting, there are always splashes on the white shirt I seem to have put on without thinking.

Another thing -- where do you buy wine and how can I help you fill your shelves with yummy wines from Italy?

[Brooklynguy]

obviously at huge tastings you have to spit. but i assume you're talking about a visit to a producer's caves, or a store manager tasting your wines or something. i tend to take a large first sip, run it around my mouth a bit, and then spit most of it out, saving a tiny bit to swallow. any further sips i spit completely. that way i feel the wine in my throat, get better sense of whatever fragrance lingers, and also the person pouring has no idea that i've swallowed any. it's my secret!