The question is of general interest. Inspired by an article published on VinePair, entitled Ask a Wine Pro: Should You Swirl Sparkling Wine?, we asked this question to the experts in our editorial team. Here is what emerged. Continue reading and find out if you should swirl sparkling wine in your glass before drinking it.

Why swirl the wine in the glass?

In this first paragraph, we explain the reasons that lead experts to swirl wine in the glass before tasting. What we will write below will be helpful because it allows us to understand if it is worth swirling the sparkling wine in the glass.

Swirling the wine in the glass helps oxygenate the wine and facilitate the perception of its aromas. A slight rotation, in fact, allows a greater quantity of wine to come into contact with oxygen, allowing the aromatic components to spread rapidly. For this reason, immediately after performing this action, it is recommended to bring the glass closer to the nose.

Furthermore, swirling the wine in the glass helps to visually evaluate the color and the consistency of the wine, precisely because this movement allows the nectar to be “opened”.

This practice is recommended especially with red wines that are aged for a long time and that have been bottled for a long time. These wines need help to release and reveal their aromatic bouquet. And with other types of wine? With the sparkling wines?

Should you swirl sparkling wine in the glass?

Foto di Dan Lasner su Unsplash

What should you do with sparkling wines? Does this type of wine also need to be swirled? According to the experts in our editorial team, the answer is: NO, sparkling wines should not be swirled once in the glass.

The distinctive feature of sparkling wines is their perlage, with the bubbles that rise up the glass due to the release of carbon dioxide, previously "trapped" in the bottle. The rotation in the glass has negative effects on the bubbles, because it accelerates the "escape" of the carbon dioxide from the glass. The rapid "escape" of the bubbles leads to the rapid dissolution of the perlage and the equally rapid loss of effervescence of the sparkling wine.

Bubbles have multiple functions, including that of “transporting” the aromatic components of the wine upwards. In short, there is no need for any rotation to release the aromas of sparkling wines. The rotary movement, negatively affecting the propagation of the bubbles, also has negative effects on the perception of the aromas.

To conclude, our advice is to avoid swirling the sparkling wine in the glass. Do this with red wines or full-bodied white wines, not with sparkling wines or bubbles.