One of the questions that I am most often asked by guests in our bar is “how many wines do you taste in a week?” The answer varies, but between wine reps and sales managers from particular wineries, the short answer is that I typically taste 200-300 wines in a week. This is the point in the conversation where the inquisitive person’s eyes get big with dreams of changing careers and “living the dream of perpetual wine tastings!” The practical reality is that 400-600 ounces of wine in five days would probably kill me if I swallowed all of it. This is equivalent to having three to five bottles of wine everyday. So, after a few tipsy nights and cab trips home, I quickly developed the skill of spitting. At first, I feared people talking about the guy who is too uncoordinated to get wine into a bucket without drenching himself (think Miles and the spit bucket at Frass Canyon in the movie “Sideways”). Initially, some “collateral damage” would end up on my shirt or on my cheek. Years of spitting has improved my form. I am frequently the designated driver in wine country because I get everything out of the tasting that my fellow swallowers do, save for the alcohol. Here’s what you get when you drink a glass of wine: 1. The aroma/bouquet as you swirl and sniff your wine. Eighty to 90 percent of what we perceive as taste actually comes from your olfactory senses. 2. Your taste buds immediately start processing five tastes in your mouth: sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, and umami. These tastes, along with your sense of smell will reveal the fruitiness of the wine and its flavors. 3. The “texture” of the wine starts to unfold: bright with high acidity, balanced or “flabby,” (so lacking in acidity as to make the wine seem flat). There may be tannins (bitter compounds from barrels, grape skins and possibly stems that rob your mouth of saliva) and it may make your mouth feel a bit dry. 4. The alcohol. You can sense the presence of alcohol, high or low, and usually at the back of your mouth toward the throat. I can spot a “hot” wine — an unbalanced wine with too much alcohol — in no time flat. 5. Finally, the pleasure of swallowing the wine to complete the experience. Anyone attending a big tasting, like the recent Family Winemakers of California Event, should spit their wine. You simply cannot enjoy many wines past a certain number if you’re swallowing everything. All of your senses will be numbed a bit. The other candidate for spitting is the designated driver. If you don’t have a friend in the industry, get one! They’ll not only hook up some special tours or barrel samples, but, he/she will most likely be spitting and not losing any enjoyment, and might haul the rest of you around wine country. Here are a couple of tips for spitting your wine: 1. After your ritual of tasting is done (sniffing, swirling, coating your mouth and maybe drawing in some air), be purposeful with your exit strategy. Wimpy streams will end up all over your chin and clothes. 2. Get a big bucket. Occasionally, I can’t find my bucket at the bar, and will grab a pint glass. Mistake! Spitting in general is not something that society holds as good behavior, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any other industry that fully accepts and expects a taster to spit. I love a glass or two of wine with dinner, but if I were to swallow every drop of wine that comes my way, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It is hip to spit!