For A First Time Tasting

There seems to be a good deal of ritual and etiquette involved in going to a formal wine tasting event. But most of the little things that are involved in a wine tasting are not as complicated as they seem.  What at first looks like being proper is actually about making sure that each wine is tasted properly and not tainted by the wine previously.  But like Will Bullas art it is about the wine, not any attempts to be more refined.
The rinsing glasses or moving on to a new wine glass entirely and the order of the tasting are not the host’s preferences but actually a way to ensure that the tasting is pure.  Even though the wine glass may look clean after taking that sip of white wine out of it, but even a trace of the wine could taint the tasting of the next one. That is why rinsing the glasses is considered proper. That is also why tasting have a set order. It is easier to wash the remaining taste from a glass that had a white wine in it than a red. Of course the glasses aren’t the only thing that needs to remain clean in between the tastings. Whites are also served first because they are lighter and it is easier to clean them off the palette than a red.  This is why little snacks are provided at tastings, to clean the palette a bit. It is hard to mess up wine tasting etiquette as long as people think about the wine first.