Help! I’ve been invited to a wine tasting. What do I do?

Lucky you. Wine tastings can be great fun and are a good way to learn about wine and meet like-minded people.

All wine tastings involve trying a small amount (a large sip) of multiple wines. A few tips on how to taste wine; first swirl it gently around in the glass to release the aromas. Take a good sniff. This will give you a good idea of how the wine will taste. Then take a sip and let it move around your mouth. Professionals often suck in a little air to further release the flavours. At professional events, almost everybody spits each sample out into a spittoon so that they don’t keel over after a few wines. This seems strange at first and can be difficult to master; practice with a glass of water when you wash your teeth. Remember that some alcohol will still get into your bloodstream so don’t taste too many wines. If you don’t want to spit, do pour out any wine you don’t want to finish.

[ The cooking wine rule: if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with itOpens in new window ]

Go with a full stomach, and drink plenty of water during the event. Most tastings will have jugs or bottles of water to hand, as well as some plain crackers or bread to provide soakage.

Generally tasters start with sparkling wine before moving on to white and then red, although some prefer to do it the opposite way. If it is a sit-down, tutored tasting, you won’t have a choice.

Marseilles is having a moment: The best places to eat and drink around the French city