# Direction of wine swirling. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055 "2011-08-01T15:43:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/21 "2011-08-01T22:28:38Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Luckily, no wines are made at the poles, because you’d need an ultra-centrifuge for proper appreciation. In that case, you’d just hold the glass out at arm’s length, and revolve around it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/22 "2011-08-01T22:35:14Z")
I love it. I am going to quote it next time I’m drinking wine and see if anyone calls me on it. (OK, likely I won’t be able to remember it, 'cause I don’t even remember the last time I drank wine. I’m really mostly a beer guy) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/23 "2011-08-01T22:54:10Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > What does make a difference however, is the manner in which the wine is swirled. In a sealed bottle of wine, the various flavinoids in the wine are imprisoned in an airless atmosphere. When exposed to air, they volatize and are released into the wine and the ambient air in the glass. “Swirling” causes aeration of the wine, and it is actually better to “jostle” the glass rather than swirling the wine smoothely as this exposes it to more air. One winemaker explained it to me as an “instant aging”. > > As an aside, too much oxidation of wine is a bad thing. This is what often happens to a cellared bottle when a cork fails. The wine becomes over-oxidized, the flavinoid compounds volatize long before being consumed, and what is left is wine with what I’d call a paint taste…a sharp acrid chemical flavor that pretty much ruins a bottle. > > Wine judging, like art criticism has been demeaned by the tendency of too many critics to launch into a bunch of airy, asinine verbage and pseudo-magic that really doesn’t mean much. > > SS Not buying the OP’s cited premise either. Came in to this thread to comment on SeldomSeen’s “jostling” point. Added air’s certainly going to change what you’re smelling in the glass, whether it’s from added oxygen getting to the wine, or reductive “bottle stink” blowing off the wine, or both. One winemaker I hung around with, lacking a decanter or iced tea pitcher, would put the cork back in the bottle and shake up the bottle. Not recommended with a sediment heavy wine, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend you do that with your 1937 Richebourg, but it certainly seemed to soften and open up his notoriously hard Cabs. I corresponded with a knowledgeable taster who thought most of the changes in wine as it sat in the glass were due to the wine warming up from cellar temp (or refrigerator temp, as the case may be), more than the effects of any air getting into the liquid. I never did rigorous experiments to prove or disprove his point, but I thought his idea had merit. If anyone has cites to good organoleptic studies of his temperature/wine appreciation theory, I’d love to read them. There certainly is a lot of unneeded bullshit and snobbery surrounding this hobby. Which is a pity, considering how delightful a glass of wine can be. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/24 "2011-08-01T23:08:59Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Dear **Quercus** , > > I read your wine column about correct swirling direction with great interest but am still conused about which way I should swirl when drinking French wines (Northern Hemisphere) while in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere). I did try inverting the glass and swirling to the left but the wine all fell out. Please help. > > - Antipodean Oenophile > > 🙂 What you need to do, of course, is to pour half a glass of wine into one glass and another half into the other glass, and swirl one of them clockwise and the other clockwise. Then hold both glasses to your mouth and drink both at once. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/25 "2011-08-01T23:47:06Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > What you need to do, of course, is to pour half a glass of wine into one glass and another half into the other glass, and swirl one of them clockwise and the other clockwise. Then hold both glasses to your mouth and drink both at once. Just be careful not to pour two left halves. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/26 "2011-08-01T23:59:35Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > There certainly is a lot of unneeded bullshit and snobbery surrounding this hobby. Which is a pity, considering how delightful a glass of wine can be. The same is true of many hobbies. Diminishing returns + apophenia = belief in bullshit methods for improving the already excellent. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/27 "2011-08-02T00:20:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Just be careful not to pour two left halves. Indeed. Argh. I just realized that I said clockwise twice. One of them should be counterclockwise. And the one that is swirled counterclockwise should, of course, be on the left. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/28 "2011-08-02T00:53:02Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > What a steaming pile of horseshit. Barnyard nose. Barnyard. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/29 "2011-08-02T01:12:57Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > What you need to do, of course, is to pour half a glass of wine into one glass and another half into the other glass, and swirl one of them clockwise and the other clockwise. Then hold both glasses to your mouth and drink both at once. Why do I think of a particular burlesque tassel show as I try to visualize this? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/30 "2011-08-02T01:39:10Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Well, the owners of the site have the expertise: > [http://www.amicistours.com/aboutus.html](http://www.amicistours.com/aboutus.html) > > > [@](#): > > > > …a huge sense of humor People, people, people. The sound of swirling wine make a really loud “whooshing” sound. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/31 "2011-08-02T05:29:42Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Why do I think of a particular burlesque tassel show as I try to visualize this? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/32 "2011-08-02T06:57:18Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > I just tried dunking a fridge magnet in a glassful of 1982 Chateau Petrus. Bad **Tapioca**. Bad, bad **Tapioca**. Now go to your desk and write, 100 times: “I will never dunk anything into a glassful of 1982 Chateau Petrus”. Then say 100 Hail Marys and 50 Ave Marias, and we’ll think about letting you off without flogging. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/33 "2011-08-02T07:09:08Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Why do I think of a particular burlesque tassel show as I try to visualize this? If it was me, I’d say it’s just what I’m usually thinking about. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/34 "2011-08-02T07:16:32Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > People, people, people. The sound of swirling wine make a really loud “whooshing” sound. 😃 I did wonder if it might be a joke, but on the same page you quoted: > [@](#): > > heir book series include the Amicis Winery Guides, Feng Shui Fuzion, the 10 Minute Herbalist and The Dream Desk Questionnaire. When you add that they work in five languages, have five children and eight grandchildren, and are still authors of a popular astrological calendar, what else is there left to say? Along with a link to their other site, which is all about herbalism and (purportedly) health hints, where may be found this: > [@](#): > > Aspartame, the chemical name for NutraSweet, starts with a horribly toxic chemical, then adds another equally toxic chemical. The two together are not twice as poisonous, but rather they are 100 times more poisonous than each individually. Conclusion: they’re not joking, they’re full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![goodie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@goodie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goodie)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/35 "2011-08-03T16:17:53Z")
Whatevs, who cares about what it does in the GLASS when the little magnetic demons hit it, what’s important is how it acts in my tum-tum. I’m up for a “go big” experiment on this thing…someone meet me at the UCSF NMR with a few bottles of Louis Michel. We’ll probably need a “designated technician”, too. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/36 "2011-08-03T21:59:01Z")
> [@chaoticbear](#): > > Except that this is 100% fake, in every conceivable way. Water is diamagnetic, meaning that if you let it, it is actually slightly repelled by magnets. Furthermore, it does not have the ability to remain magnetized, so when you remove the magnet, it quickly reverts to its original state. > > But this product is very good at attracting money from wallets. Sorry if I wasn’t clear, but I’m not saying that anything was correct in that link… as far as I can tell, they’re equally crazy and equally non-scientific. But they are using an idea (that water “clusters”) that might explain what was meant by “wine cell” in the original article. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/37 "2011-08-04T03:51:34Z")
Does the Coriolis effect come into play in this? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/38 "2011-08-04T04:50:37Z")
Yes, if you’ve had two or more Coronas. Or if you drive a Corolla. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/39 "2011-08-04T06:05:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Does the Coriolis effect come into play in this? It might as well. It won’t make much difference to the validity or coherence of what’s being claimed. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/40 "2011-08-04T07:56:32Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > They may just believe that everything is made up of cells. > > Or, I have heard some of these people talk about “cells” or “clusters” in water, with the usual explanation being that water attracts itself (evidenced by surface tension) … Just for the record, this at least is true. Water molecules have a negative charge on one side, and 2 positive charges on the other. Positive attracts negative, so water molecules stick together. > **[Water (previous version) | Chemistry | Visionlearning](https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Chemistry/1/Water/57)** > > Water, critical to our survival, behaves differently from any other substance on Earth. The unique chemical properties of water are presented in this module. The module explains how the dipole across the water molecule leads to hydrogen bonding,... > **[Student](https://wwnorton.com/student/)** [http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/H/HydrogenBonds.html](http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/H/HydrogenBonds.html) The rest is hogwash, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055.md?page=3)