Why do people swirl their wine? Hint: it’s not just to look cool.
We have all seen it; the illustrious swirl of red wine in the glass, that whirling liquid velvet, the sultry sway. Perhaps you have attempted it, or maybe you have even mastered it. Whatever the case may be, more than likely you can recall a time where you attempted this novel move, but failed miserably and the wine piddled over the glass in a rogue trajectory onto the table, your person, and surrounding vicinity.
Have you cursed off the wine swirl forever? Has that cacophony of “splat” met with immense embarrassment created your wine-swirling demise? Why swirl wine in the first place? Is it just to show-off one’s ability to create centrifugal force and look like an elitist snob? Actually, no.
Swirling wine doesn’t just look cool, there are actually a couple of functionalities to it. Wine, as poured directly from the bottle, is “tight” on the nose, and needs to loosen-up. Swirling wine releases aromas and nuances that you would not have been able to detect without some aeration. When wine is subjected to centrifugal force in the glass, aromas are released and the wine’s “bouquet” is more developed, making it taste better.
Think about going to a party where you don’t know anyone and are feeling like a wallflower. Perhaps you feel more sociable over time, you may even resort to shot…
