# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/41 "2011-08-04T11:00:16Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Barnyard nose. Barnyard. _ssnnniiiffffff_ Mmm… I’m getting straw, I’m getting leather, I’m getting damp hair, I’m getting pseudoscience… with a top note of hot steamy horsepucky. ---
**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 4, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/42 "2011-08-04T11:51:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Conclusion: they’re not joking, they’re full of shit. Well, OK, maybe. Salt starts with a toxic chemical and adds another toxic chemical, too. I wonder if they’re concerned about _that_. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/43 "2011-08-04T12:31:39Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > _ssnnniiiffffff_ > > Mmm… I’m getting straw, I’m getting leather, I’m getting damp hair, I’m getting pseudoscience… with a top note of hot steamy horsepucky. Ah, but if you stand on your head, the pungent cells of bullshit are shifted 180 degrees out of phase, and no longer resonate with the cells of your brain. Eventually the odor disappears and you can understand how the rotation of a wine glass matters. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/44 "2011-08-04T14:27:55Z")
You can actually deal with this problem by not swirling. If you wish to release the aroma, simply place a straw in the wine and blow some bubbles. Then sniff deeply. If you inhale a bubble, so much the better. Works fine in both hemispheres, and for left-handed people, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Chicago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Dr\_Chicago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Chicago)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/45 "2011-08-04T20:29:24Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:44, topic:591055”] You can actually deal with this problem by not swirling. If you wish to release the aroma, simply place a straw in the wine and blow some bubbles. Then sniff deeply. If you inhale a bubble, so much the better. Works fine in both hemispheres, and for left-handed people, too. 😃 [/QUOTE] I am so bringing a bendy-straw next time I go to France. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/46 "2011-08-04T20:43:18Z")
I find that article regal and pretentious, and lacking in legs as well as body. ---
**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 5, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/47 "2011-08-05T01:32:51Z")
I contacted the author of the article, Lahni de Amicis, and was very surprised to receive a prompt, courteous, and detailed response. I thanked her and requested permission to post her response but did not receive any response to that request, so I will paraphrase key points rather than posting her email wholesale. 1. She’s very earnest. This was clearly not intended to be a joke. My bad. 2. She admitted that using the term “wine cell” is an error. I don’t know why she pointed this out; I did not mention it. I did say that I was engaged on a discussion board but did not mention which one. She said someone rudely took exception to this claim; I have no idea if she googled herself and found this thread along with the comment in post #3, or was referring to some other uncited remark. 3. However, she said that the correct term would be molecule or atom. 4. She described how everything has polarity, down to the “atomic level,” and in a liquid they rotate about the pole. 5. She related this as “basic physics.” 6. She has done informal trials and found that her more olfactorily gifted clients can tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/48 "2011-08-05T08:49:56Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > 1. She has done informal trials and found that her more olfactorily gifted clients can tell the difference. Who are coincidentally also True Scotsmen, one and all. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/49 "2011-08-05T09:17:26Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > 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. But doesn’t the “water cell” hogwash involve clusters rather than everything sticking to everything, which is what actually happens? ---
**Author:** ![alindallas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@alindallas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alindallas)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/50 "2011-08-07T10:48:56Z")
I hate when my wine sticks together in little chunks. I must be holding the bottle wrong. Which direction am I supposed to face when I (uh) sip from a liter bottle of Cabernet? ---
**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 7, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/51 "2011-08-07T13:40:57Z")
> [@alindallas](#): > > I hate when my wine sticks together in little chunks. I must be holding the bottle wrong. Which direction am I supposed to face when I (uh) sip from a liter bottle of Cabernet? Well, there’s your problem. Wine bottles are 0.75 liters. You must be drinking Coke. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/52 "2011-08-07T21:07:34Z")
Hang on… so based on the followup article: [Wine Swirling Direction Part II](http://www.amicistours.com/swirlingdirectionsii.html): [QUOTE=Ralph de Amicis] Someone quite rudely took exception with my use of the word cell, which is in fact incorrect. The proper term would be molecule or even atom. Everything has a polarity right down to the atomic level. [snip] Wind it one way and it tightens and wind it the other and it unwinds. [/QUOTE] The author is stating that the direction of wine swirling “unwinds” the molecular structure (or possibly atomic structure :eek:) of the wine?! Seriously? So… logically… in the best case if I swirl my wine in the recommended direction it’ll separate into hydrogen and oxygen and dissipate?! And in the worst case its atomic structure will unravel?! Holy crap… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/53 "2011-08-07T21:10:24Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > And in the worst case its atomic structure will unravel?! Holy crap… > > 😛 And if Einstein is correct, that means… oh god! Someone get on the horn with Washington! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/54 "2011-08-07T21:35:01Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Hang on… so based on the followup article: [Wine Swirling Direction Part II](http://www.amicistours.com/swirlingdirectionsii.html): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by **Ralph de Amicis** > > Someone quite rudely took exception with my use of the word cell, which is in fact incorrect. The proper term would be molecule or even atom. Everything has a polarity right down to the atomic level. [snip] Wind it one way and it tightens and wind it the other and it unwinds. > > The author is stating that the direction of wine swirling “unwinds” the molecular structure (or possibly atomic structure :eek:) of the wine?! Omar Khayyam (by way of [Edward Fitzgerald](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edwardfitz403173.html)) might conclude that these folks are skipping the selling and buying routines altogether, and just heading straight for the casks every morning. I wonder what Mr. de Amicis thinks a wine _atom_ is? ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/55 "2011-08-07T21:36:00Z")
I think scientificaly rigorous testing of various methods of sniffing, swirling, and drinking wine poses a real problem. The more you study, the harder it is to keep your rigor. The second bottle of wine always tastes better, anyway. Tris ---
**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 8, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/56 "2011-08-08T00:13:37Z")
> [@alindallas](#): > > I hate when my wine sticks together in little chunks. I must be holding the bottle wrong. Which direction am I supposed to face when I (uh) sip from a liter bottle of Cabernet? Supine, the ceiling. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/57 "2011-08-08T03:36:56Z")
> [@chaoticbear](#): > > And if Einstein is correct, that means… oh god! Someone get on the horn with Washington! Well, on the bright-side it could mean an end to world energy issues… but conversely it would also mean that a malcontent armed with a cement truck full of second grade cabernet could take out the eastern seaboard. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/58 "2011-08-08T03:55:56Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Hang on… so based on the followup article: [Wine Swirling Direction Part II](http://www.amicistours.com/swirlingdirectionsii.html): From that link: > [@](#): > > Honestly this is just basic physics related to molecular science and plant chemistry, something which herbalists and herbal researchers deal with all the time. A pretty sober group of people. By the way, I’ve done an informal study of this and my hyper-sensitive clients all notice the difference in the swirl directions and the nature of the scents. Comedy gold. I can’t wait until he covers drinking Pinot Noirs which have first been swirled into a Bose-Einstein condensate. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/59 "2011-08-08T22:27:58Z")
HAH! What a hoot, this was awesome. {MD 20/20 weapon of massively drunk destruction of choice for winos and terrorists everywhere} Wish I’d looked at this earlier. ---
**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 9, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055/60 "2011-08-09T02:21:47Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > From that link: > > Comedy gold. I can’t wait until he covers drinking Pinot Noirs which have first been swirled into a Bose-Einstein condensate. I presume you mean Champagne. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/direction-of-wine-swirling/591055.md?page=4)