6 Things Not To Do When Ordering Wine

There are four basic components of the traditional wine tasting ritual people perform when they order a bottle at a restaurant: sniff the cork, swirl the glass, sniff the wine, and hold the glass up to the light to inspect its contents.

“People go through the ritual, but they don’t always know why they’re doing it,” said Union Square Hospitality Group’s John Ragan, who is the wine director for Danny Meyer’s restaurant empire. “That’s not a comfortable exercise.”

To help people feel less silly when ordering and tasting wine, Ragan is leading a 10-week, restaurant-grade course starting in March curated by USHG and the Institute of Culinary Education. Every Tuesday, guests will get the training servers and sommeliers receive: They’ll learn to navigate a wine list and discuss wine, have a chance to Skype with growers, importers and critics around the world, and most importantly, learn to properly taste wine.

Ragan shared some classic wine-tasting “don’ts” with Business Insider.

6 Things Not To Do When Ordering Wine