By VICTORIA MARTIN
Kirkland Reporter Contributor
August 9, 2012 · 12:29 PM
My husband and I recently ate at a wonderful restaurant. After being seated, I immediately scanned the dining room for other cool people. My eyes quickly settled upon a table of three couples, all very handsomely dressed. The sommelier was anxiously standing by just having presented one of the diners with the bottle of wine they ordered. The wine steward poured the prerequisite 1 ounce of wine to taste for the diner’s approval.
First, the diner sniffed the cork – every inch of that cork. Then, he deftly raised his stemmed wine glass, and proceeded to stick his nose deep inside the glass and breath deeply. He seemed to know exactly what to look for! He then eyed the wine as it settled back down to the bottom to approximate the alcohol content by the strength of its “legs.”
One can only surmise that next, he admired the deep rich color and then, finally, he took a sip, breathing in simultaneously to aerate the wine. Not ready to swallow yet, he gurgled the liquid to distribute it evenly to every part of his mouth. Time seemed suspended as everyone waited to see if the wine would be acceptable.
