With the Spring months finally arriving, my interests inevitably turn to extremely pleasurable pursuits. These can go from walks in the woods to reading outside to exploring new dishes; whatever, in fact, provides a lasting sensual experience. We are slaves to our senses, as it should be, and what we experience in life is often due to the stimuli our senses receive. Imagine not having any taste buds at all and how dull that would be in regard to any food or drink consumption. Our senses make us zing; they provide necessary elements to produce pleasure, including the appreciation of good wine. But I wonder if when we drink wine, alone, with friends, or with a meal, whether we follow the rules of the five “T”—I mean Taking The Time To Taste.

I was drawn to this concern the other day when I made a small experiment. As a curator and organizer of art exhibitions, I am always curious how audiences view the works I place on the walls. While I was studying visitors’ reactions incognito, I noticed that very few of them actually looked at the paintings more than a minute, and many of them a good deal less. I understand this, since looking at beautiful paintings is not given to everyone. But neither is wine. I did the same experiment in a restaurant recently in regard to how drinkers consume their wine. Very few took the time to actually taste the wine; most drank it in what appeared to be no time, sometimes guzzling it down as they ate and chatted with whomever her/she was with, as if it were a glass of water. One customer I saw drink down an entire glass before ripping into a steak: wine first, steak later, appreciation of the two together when? I know such things as taking time sounds rather finicky, even snobbish, but what is the point of going to an exhibition if not to look at the paintings, or ordering wine if not taking the time to taste it. This is essential because the joy of wine is in the time one must take to adequately taste, not drink, all the flavors a wine can offer. The rewards, as in looking at great paintings, can be great and the preparation easy to accommodate. Here are some hints on making your sensual enjoyment of wine greater:

1. Clean your palate before having a taste. Taking a few sips of water before you approach that glass of wine so that your senses will be heightened. Once you swish it around, you’ll have a better idea of what you are going to taste afterwards. If you do not cleanse the palate, the tastes will be subverted. That is evident—even elementary—but worth repeating.
2. Take a moment to relax before having a taste. Heady pleasures such as wine are best enjoyed when we are ready for them, mentally and otherwise. Don’t be afraid to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and think about the red or white in your glass before tasting it. No need to overdo it—just a few moments, discreetly done, can change the way you taste and therefore appreciate the wine in your glass. Again, rather elementary, but still worth repeating, because we too often just sip when the glass is placed before us.
3. Know your wine before ordering it. Having some knowledge what to expect is a positive factor on your taste buds. I always say that experimenting with new-found bottles is great, but the most enjoyment will often come from an expected pleasure. Think before hand what you might wish for. A great Cabarnet? A stupendous Pinot? Thinking about it ahead of time will enhance the pleasure when you taste.
4. When the glass appears to taste, let it sit a minute. This is important because the wine has been bottled up for years before your mouth tastes it. Letting some oxygen into it slowly will augment its flavors considerably. Swirl it around gently to let the oxygen interact. And be patient. Wine, especially older ones, simply needs time to come together once it has been opened.

If you have a bit of doubt about the Five “T”s, think for a moment at the time it took the winemaker to create the product in your glass. The months of tending the vines; the pruning; the harvest; the sorting out the grapes; the vinification process; the storage under ideal conditions—all of these yearly tasks that in the end land up in your glass. Should it not be worth the respect for this annual travail by tasting his wine respectfully, that is,  by Takng The Time To Taste?

Photo by William: The vineyards near Lutry as they slope down to Lake Geneva.

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