It is not considered rude to spit out wine at a winery, even in the presence of the wine maker or owner. Generally, a spittoon will be provided. In some regions of the world, tasters simply spit on the floor or onto gravel surrounding barrels. It is polite to inquire about where to spit before beginning tasting.
Wine tasting is the sensory evaluation of wine, encompassing more than taste, but also mouthfeel, aroma, and colour. The main aims of wine tasting are to:
* assess the wine's quality
* determine the wine's maturity and suitability for aging or immediate drinking
* detect the aromas and flavours of the wine
* discover the many facets of wine, so as to better appreciate it
To assess a wine's quality, one must gauge its complexity of aroma and flavour, determine the intensity of the aroma and flavour, check that the flavours and structural elements such as acid, tannin and alcoholic strength are well balanced, and finally see how long the wine persists in the mouth after tasting.
Practised wine tasters will gauge the wine's quality in other ways too. These include, whether the wine is of high quality with respect to other wines of its price, region or vintage; if it is typical of the region it is made in or diverges in style; if it uses certain wine making techniques, such as oak fermentation or malolactic fermentation; or if it has any wine faults. Many professional wine tasters, such as sommeliers or people purchasing for liquor outlets look for characteristics which are desirable amongst wine drinkers and which are likely to sell or mature well.
