• Clean, stemmed, tulip-shaped glasses, preferably not plastic. Online or at discount stores, a box sells for $2-3 per glass, sometimes less. (Save the box for storage and transportation.) For informal tastings, one glass per person works fine—though for sparkling wine, flutes keep the bubbles from dissipating too quickly.

• Crackers or bread, unflavored.

• Bottled water. Chlorine and other chemicals in tap water can interfere with wine flavors. It’s easiest to give each taster his/her own water.

• A “dump bucket” or two for emptying glasses and spitting. Tall, opaque containers work best.

• A corkscrew.

• Designated drivers.

• And, of course, wines.

Preparation:

• Avoid perfume and cologne. They interfere with wine’s aroma and taste.

• Serve white, rosé, and sparking wines chilled but not cold; take them out of the refrigerator a few minutes before tasting. Reds should be served at “cool” room temperature, no warmer than 65 degrees. A few minutes in the fridge might help.

• Start with sparkling wines, then whites, then rosés, then reds, going from dry to sweet and light to full-bodied.

• Pour an inch or so into each glass. At our tasting, each bottle served nine people with plenty left over.

The “Five S” method:

• Swirl the wine in the glass, holding by the stem. (To look really cool, keep the base of the glass on the table as you swirl.) Mixing wine with oxygen releases its flavors. Hold it up to the light to see the color and clarity. Drinking wine is a multisensory pleasure, involving sight, smell, and even touch as well as taste.

• Sniff the aroma, or “nose.” Stick your nose well into the glass.

• Sip. It helps to slurp in some air, again to oxygenate the wine. Notice the feel on the tongue as well as the taste.

• Swish the wine around in your mouth. Taste buds on different parts of your tongue are sensitive to different tastes. Wait for any aftertaste.

• Spit (or swallow). Formal tastings call for spitting because alcohol consumption dulls taste sensitivity. But where’s the fun in that?

Between wines:

• Rinse glasses with water. You can either dump or drink the water.

• A bite of cracker or bread can clear lingering flavors from the previous wine.