Canary Wines at a themed wine tasting at Central London Wine Society, held at the Civil Service Club. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Why would you attend a wine tasting? Would you bother to go to one if you are an amateur or don't drink? What is the protocol?
Wine Tasting For Non Drinkers
You might attend a wine tasting if you run a restaurant, or work in a restaurant, shop, hotel, supermarket or other business selling wines.
Identifying No Alcohol
You need to know about alcohol levels to identify the difference between no alcohol for drivers and people working with machinery. Low alcohol is not the same as no alcohol.
Alcohol In Food
Alcohol is also used as a preservative in food such as Christmas pudding. This is traditionally made weeks or even months ahead.
Red wine is used in Coq au vin and some casseroles.
White wine is sometimes used in risottos and white fish sauces.
Madeira is used in madeira sauce for meat dishes.
Vinegar
You might learn about vinegar, which is made when one particular bacteria converts wine into acetic acid.
Some vinegars are made by malting. What does malting mean? Grains allowed to sprout, as in malt whisky, converting starch into sugar. The best vinegars are from wine.
Alcohol Prices
You want to know about prices, so you can use cheaper alcohol in cooking and not waste expensive alcohol. When buying a gift, you might need to know about drinks you do not drink.
Protecting Your Health
As a teenager at college, having had no alcohol at home, with parents who drank little, I had no idea that fortified wines such as sherry served without food, would get me drunk quickly. Looking back, I am alarmed that I was in danger crossing roads drunk as a pedestrian, or as a young driver.
I want to be aware that spirits are stronger. Also, how much is in each glass, to watch calories as well as alcohol content.
Nowadays, with cameras in streets everywhere, you want to be sure customers are not in danger. Not getting drunk themselves. Not in danger from other customers. And not getting drunk and aggressive and endangering others.
Reading Bottle Labels
It is helpful to read bottle labels. English bottle labels. French labels. German labels. Spanish. Italian. Portuguese. Japanese - sake, plum wine.
You want to know why a restaurant is charging more for one wine than another. How to compare prices online to see the restaurant markup.
When ordering large quantities for a Christmas party, birthday, anniversary, or wedding, it helps to know the amounts to order and the cost.
If you don't like wine, or only some wine, it helps to know which wines contain tannin which give you a headache.
You will learn to identify sweet and dry, auslese and spatlese, sec and brut, rosada, Italian and Spanish Portuguese and German text on bottle labels.
Identify Sweet and Dry
Which wines are sweeter. Which are dry? What to buy or serve yourself and others.
Avoiding Alcohol
You might want to know whether alcohol in food gets you drunk or is perfectly safe. Who likes which alcohol?
What should you provide at a party?
General Knowledge Updated
What is orange wine?
Import regulations
If you are bringing back wine as souvenirs or gifts for others, how much wine is it legal to bring in?
Knowing The Law
In which countries or states is it illegal to have opened wine on public transport, or in a car, or off the premises.
Where can you buy wine? Which countries ban alcohol? What if you are in transit on a plane or car?
Even online. Even if you do not visit another country where alcohol is banned or unpopular, but are a long distance consultant, your job interview on Zoom will go better, or you will feel more confident, if you do not have bottles of open or unopened alcohol in the room behind you.
Wine Tasting Protocol
Perfume Is Not Popular
You should not wear strong perfumes or aftershave to a wine tasting. Why? Because people are sniffing drinks to identify and describe the aroma. Strong perfumes interfere with other people's ability to detect aromas. This will apply to one day courses and exams as well as tastings.
Polite Listening
A wine tasting may include a lot of technical terms and facts. When a speaker is describing wines, or the other participants are giving their feedback publicly, those attending should not start private conversations with those seated alongside. If you are organizing, you may need to take action to prevent or stop noise. For example, tap a glass for silence, stand up and project your voice, wait for silence, use a microphone. Ask the audience, can you hear me. People who ae inebriated may lose inhibitions and talk loudly.
Also beware of noise from people in doorways, or outside the doors and windows, or nearby at exhibitions, fairs and events. Passers-by to other events may not realise they are disturbing you. You may need to shut windows. and doors. Or turn off air conditioning, fans. Ask the venue to make the canned music quieter.
Tell the adjacent stalls at an exhibition which times your or your guests are speaking. Conversely, let them know when, before or after your event, it is okay for them to play music and shout to their audience and passers-by.
Organizing Events
It is helpful to know about:
hire of glasses. Who gives loans or gives glasses free? Who sells glasses? Which glasses are unbreakable? What insurance do you need? What licensing permits are needed? Which venues, such as churches and temples and their rooms for hire will ban alcohol?
Preparing For Non Drinking People, Locations and Events
When are drinks banned or expected? Some religions ban alcohol. Others allow drinking in moderation. Others have celebrations where a glass of wine is expected. What should you provide for children and non drinkers?
Glasses and Decanters
Even if you are not interested in wine, you might be interested in the use and value of antique and modern decanters. And selling or buying drinking glasses. Unbreakable glassware for serving soft drinks. Unbreakable glassware or lookalikes for bars near swimming pools. How to clean a decanter.
Gifts
Visiting large wine venues and shops may provide gifts for people who drink wine and don't. You might see books. Aprons and tea towels. Bottle openers. Discount vouchers. Hampers.
Other Food and Drink
Water. Jams. Olive oils.
Networking
You might meet people in other businesses.
The local tourist board, to help you plan a holiday.
Rich investors, who can advise you on investing, on your business or theirs, or travel, or life in general.
People who are accompanying their spouse or boss and actually prefer whisky, beer, non-alcoholic drinks, food.
The organizers, may be able to recommend local restaurants and advise on visitor attractions.
The PR company for this event might invite you to other food and wine exhibitions, restaurant openings, or national events.
What Is Free?
A free tasting is free. Although you might feel obliged or happy to buy something in a shop or at the venue.
Free tastings often take place alongside the month's promotion of wine and food.
Tastings often end with discounts on wines or products at the venue. Sometimes you get a free large or small sample, useful leaflets, an opportunity to buy a signed book, or a free goodie bag to take home with information and gifts for yourself or a friend or colleague.
You can buy a wine tasting as a surprise or novelty for family and friends, as a gift for a birthday.
What's For Non Drinkers And Children?
Occasionally you will find other events or exhibitions alongside. For example, in the Canary islands, the large wine museum centre had a room on the architecture of the building and the history of the area. Another exhibition was about bees and honey.
The Wow wine theme park in Portugal had provision for children with non alcoholic drinks and cartoon character glasses.
Two wine museums in Spain and Portugal had aroma exhibits, with the aromas or different herbs and other ingredients. Their shops sold
Wine museums often sell tee-shirts and caps advertising the local winery and/or the local area.
Wine And Food
Wine tastings for the trade sometimes have only wine to taste and spit into a spitoon. Other events have water. Some have savoury water biscuits. Others have national food alongside, or a buffet afterwards, or canapes. You might get invited back to a Christmas, end of year, national day, or summer party with food.
If the event is at a restaurant, you might wish to stay on later, paying for a meal, if that is an option.
Some organizations served food with wine or spirits. Two which I know about in England are a food and wine club in London and a whisky dinner group in Pinner in north west London.
The Wine Society
The Wine Society in Stevenage has a programme of lunches and dinner with matched wines, not all in Stevenage, some in London and elsewhere. If you join the society, just £40 for life, no further annual fee, you can buy from their huge premises in person or online and get invited to events.
Many wine shops and warehouses hold regular events.
Useful Websites
Free wine tasting forms you can print, save or photograph
https://www.delongwine.com/products/wine-tasting-note-form
Sign up to get this form
https://www.bbcmaestro.com/free-wine-tasting-template
Wine Tasting Descriptors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_tasting_descriptors
Wine Events
https://www.thewinesociety.com/buy/tastings-and-events/
Central London Wine Society
On Meetup
Majestic
https://www.majestic.co.uk/events
Information
https://www.wine-tastings-guide.com/
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