An accomplished accountant with more than four decades of experience, Mark Izydore serves as a co-manager of CJ Consultants, a Jupiter, Florida-based financial and health-care advisory firm. When he’s not working, Mark Izydore enjoys attending wine tasting events.

Wine tasting tours allow wine enthusiasts to sample a variety of wines from various regions and winemakers. To enjoy the experience, and form meaningful opinions regarding various wines, it’s vital for wine tasters to follow these tips.

Avoid Wearing Cologne or Perfume

Wearing perfume or cologne, or being in a heavily perfumed crowd, interferes with the authentic aroma of wines. Considering a wine’s aroma is closely related to its taste, it’s best to avoid using perfume or cologne altogether when attending wine tasting events.

Don’t Feel Obligated to Finish a Wine Glass

During wine tasting, there’s always a bucket or jar whose purpose is to dispose of any wine that guests don’t intend to finish. It is fine to either pour out or spit wine during a tasting event. Actually, many tasters don’t finish wine in their glasses - this is not because they don’t like it, but because they don’t want to over-indulge.

Failing to Ask for Recommendations

Wine tasting tours offer the perfect opportunity to explore various wine varieties. Winery staff are always positioned to offer tasters great recommendations, and shouldn’t be ignored. Wine tasters should tap into the knowledge of staff by asking them where to proceed next, as the goal is to discover something new.