Why do you swirl your wine when tasting

I got question 1 wrong in this quiz, but am not convinced it was me that was incorrect
http://www.decanter.com/learn/winequiz/ ... ge-389867/

According to the quiz "you" swirl wine to aerate it, and doing a quick google most of the web seems to agree. But I learned from Michael Schuster's Essential Winetasting that you swirl to create a thin layer over a large area of the glass to enable you to better access the volatile components by sniffing. And I am still convinced the best reason to do it. Some arguments for my view:

1) Even decanted wines seem to get swirled.

2) If I really wanted to aerate a wine I would cover the glass and shake it, which would be more effective.

3) Some people seem to swirl and sniff more than once. Is that really because it wasn't aerated enough the first time? Or is it perhaps just a nervous tic? Actually the nervous tic explanation is probably the real reason we swirl - only that would explain why wine geeks swirl the water glass too

So did I score a moral 10/10 or did I really mess up on the first question?

[Robin Garr]

I agree with you, Steve. Even Decanter isn't always a reliable source.

[Robin Garr]

Looking at the exact wording, it's rather poorly written, in my opinion. Given these exact choices I'd have to go with 2 mainly because the description used in 3 seems worse.

Why do you swirl wine in a glass before smelling and tasting it?

It makes you look like you know what you're looking for
To get oxygen into the wine to help it release its aromas
To help coat the whole glass in wine, making it easier to taste
So you can visually see if the wine is light, medium or full bodied

I interpreted "taste" to be in the general sense - to include smell.

Though I have to concur that it is only the inside of the glass that is coated; not the whole glass

8/10!!

Here's what a group of physicist have to say about it

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/11/ ... e-swirling

Salute