Nicholas “Nick” Bonacci manages all aspects of the acquisitions process as a member of the acquisitions and finance team for Bridge33 Capital, a Seattle-based private equity real estate firm. Beyond his professional pursuits, Nicholas Bonacci enjoys wine and engaging in tastings. While wine tasting gives people an opportunity to try new wines without investing in a full bottle, the experience does come with its own series of do’s and don’ts. The following list covers some basic wine etiquette.
1. Eat beforehand. Avoid attending a wine tasting on an empty stomach, even if you don’t plan on swallowing all that you sip. Those small sips can add up quickly, especially if you forget to cleanse your palette between sips.
2. Dress appropriately. Follow the dress code of the event, whether it calls for casual or elegance. Most wine tastings take place in a relaxed and conversational environment that balances casualness with elegance. In addition, refrain from wearing heavily scented colognes or perfumes since these scents can overcome the wines' aroma.
3. Follow tasting technique. Take your time sampling each wine and refrain from knocking back each one. To maximize your experience, follow wine tasting technique by gently swirling the wine and taking a sniff before sipping it.
4. No obligations to spit or swallow. There is no hard rule about swallowing or spitting during a wine tasting, so feel free to do either throughout the tasting experience. Swallowing gives you an idea how the wine feels going down, but spitting can help prevent intoxication if you visit multiple tasting rooms or sample a lot of different wines.
5. Leave preconceptions behind. Keep an open mind during the tasting and take the opportunity to try a variety of different wines, including ones you like and ones you don’t. Wine tastings do not obligate you to swallow everything you try, so there is no pressure not to spit out something you don’t like.
