The practice of spitting out wine has always been a curiosity. How can you truly taste something if you don’t swallow it? After all, the lower back of the tonque must contribute something to the flavor. And why would you want to spit it out if it tastes good?
It was at a Moore Brothers tasting event where for the first time I observed, first-hand, people using a spittoon. The ritual prior to spitting consisted of swirling the wine in the glass, sticking the nose into it, taking wine into the mouth, swishing it around, and sucking in air.
At one point, I was off to the side of one of the tasting tables, near a spittoon, attempting to catch the guests using it. A gentleman approached and started talking with me about the wine. We were just a few sentences into our conversation when out of nowhere I blurted out, “Do you spit?”
He looked at me strangely and after a few moments of silence said, “expectorate.” I felt like a big horse’s bottom.
My colleagues expectorate so nonchalantally, and quite elegantly, in a quick, clean, steady stream. For a long time I couldn’t bring myself to try it in front of them for fear of committing some expectorating faux pas.
But recently, after considering the many nights of mild tipsyness and indegestion, I felt it behooved me to learn. So I decided to let down my guard and just start doing it.
At one point, I was off to the side of one of the tasting tables, near a spittoon, attempting to catch the guests using it. A gentleman approached and started talking with me about the wine. We were just a few sentences into our conversation when out of nowhere I blurted out, “Do you spit?”
For guidance, a colleague referred me to the “degustibus” articles by Greg on the Moore Brothers web site.
A key factor is getting the wine to “every surface inside your mouth, including between your lips and teeth and as far back as possible.” Chewing (yes chewing the wine!), is also important; it helps “move the aroma toward the most sensitive part of the olfactory epithelium, where we smell, via what is called the retro-nasal passage, that connects our mouths with our noses.”
Going through the motions (the swirling, smelling, swishing, etc.) feels extremely awkward. The most challenging part for me is overcoming the urge to swallow. But sucking in air and chewing the wine really does aid in getting a tasting effect.
Expectorating itself is not as easy as it looks. More often than not, the wine dribbles from my mouth. And it can be somewhat dangerous; one of my first few attempts resulted in a back splash from the depths of the spitton straight into my eye. Got a little too close I guess.
Greg offers some comforting words in the article: “Don’t be self-conscious about how it looks or sounds, and don’t be shy about spitting. Good tasters develop good aim, and practice will make it all seem natural.”
Yep…before long it’ll be just another night at the store, tasting and expectorating wine.
-Susan Albarran
