Mark Lipton wrote:

> Can I be odd man out, too? While I drink wine with dinner no less than
> 3-4 times per week (and often more), I also do attend group tastings and
> visit wineries. On such occasions, I almost always "sip and spit." I
> do not feel as if this in any way handicaps my ability to evaluate the
> wine; in fact, it improves it. However, I usually have more than one
> sip of a wine and often will come back to a wine after minutes or hours
> to see how a wine has changed. Usually, my notes will reflect that
> dynamic aspect of the wine. Proper technique (IMO) permits one to taste
> the wine fully even without swallowing. Moreover, as others have
> mentioned, it reduces palate saturation and the dulling effects of
> alcohol. Additionally, when I'm driving it's the only sane course of
> action. Although I too believe that wine is best appreciated with food,
> I find that it is easier to analyze a wine without the interactions that
> food brings to bear. Fortunately, I rarely feel the need to be that
> analytical at dinner, so you won't find a spit bucket at our dinner
> table either! ;-)

Mark, one of the aspects of tasting that we all consider is how long the
taste is on the palate. Can you experience that without swallowing? That
to me is on the back of the palate and only comes with swallowing.