Phrases › At a Wine Tasting › Perché si fa girare il bicchiere?

Perché si fa girare il bicchiere?

Why do you swirl the glass?

Pronunciation

Girare: jee-RAH-reh. To turn/rotate. Bicchiere: beek-KYEH-reh — the glass.

When to use it

Ask a sommelier or fellow taster if you're new to wine tasting. Swirling releases aromatics and is one of the most recognisable wine tasting gestures.

What it means

Perché si fa girare is 'why does one rotate' — impersonal. Il bicchiere is the glass. Swirling (roteazione del bicchiere) increases the wine's surface area, releasing aromatic compounds.

Variations

Come si gira correttamente?

How do you swirl correctly?

Keep the base on the table and rotate in small circles.

Dopo aver girato, si annusa subito?

After swirling, do you smell immediately?

Yes — the aromas dissipate quickly.

Il bicchiere giusto fa differenza?

Does the right glass make a difference?

Enormously — glass shape affects both aroma and taste.

Mini Dialogue

— Perché si fa girare il bicchiere? — Per ossigenare il vino e liberare gli aromi più volatili. — E come si tiene il bicchiere? — Sempre dallo stelo. Non dal calice — per non scaldare il vino con la mano.

— Why do you swirl the glass? — To oxygenate the wine and release the more volatile aromas. — And how do you hold the glass? — Always by the stem. Not the bowl — so you don't warm the wine with your hand.

Cultural Note

The Riedel glass company (Austrian but Italy's most popular brand) makes variety-specific glasses — different shapes for Barolo, Brunello, Pinot Nero. Many Italian sommeliers swear that the right glass can transform a wine. The AIS uses a standardised tasting glass for all blind tastings.

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