Are you supposed to spit out wine at a wine tasting?

To Spit or Swallow?  

When you’re at a wine-tasting event, your sommelier or wine specialist typically expects you to spit. Watch when they taste, and you’ll notice they do the same.  

Spitting at a wine tasting isn’t bad manners for several reasons.  

First, most wine tastings involve sampling many wines over a few hours. If you were to swallow every measure, you would get tipsy pretty quickly and struggle to taste the unique flavours and subtle notes in each glass. Therefore, spitting keeps your mouth fresh for the next tasting and helps you notice the subtleties that make wine such an enjoyable drink.  

Do you have to spit?  

There are no rules that force you to spit wine, and it’s certainly not socially awkward to have to take an occasional swallow. Certain rare or exceptional wines may be so desirable that even wine experts will refrain from spitting them out. Instead, they’ll allow the wine to coat the back of the palate and release its hidden aromas when exhaling.  

So, feel free to sip, savour and swallow your favourites, but feel free to spit those you’re not so keen on.  

Step 1 – Practise your spitting technique at home. You don’t want to spit over yourself in front of friends and colleagues.  

Step 2 – Take the spitoon (a fancy word for spit bucket) and position it directly under your mouth.  

Step 3 – Pull your chin back, pointing towards the spittoon, then bring it to the front of your mouth. 

Step 4 – Open your mouth and propel the wine into the spittoon with a gentle blowing motion.  

Step 5 – Dab any drips from your chin (or beard) with a napkin.