《中英對照讀新聞》A waste of good wine? Non! Spitting is essential to tasting／浪費好酒？不！吐酒對品酒很重要

吐酒是品酒的重要步驟。（法新社檔案照）

◎孫宇青

Spitting is frowned upon in polite society － unless the spitter is engaged in tasting wines.

在彬彬有禮的社會，亂吐東西會令旁人皺眉，除非吐的人是在品酒。

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Experts would first stick their noses into a glass of wine: it is important to get a good whiff before tasting the wine.

專業人士首先會將鼻子湊近酒杯，因為在品嘗前先嗅聞氣味很重要。

Once in the mouth, the wine is swirled around － or chewed － for a few seconds. The taster may then make a "duck face" to allow a bit of air in to detect further characteristics. Next, the mouthful of liquid is spewed back out in an unapologetic burst into a spittoon.

酒一入口後，會在嘴裡漱或嚼上幾秒。接著，品酒者可能會做出「鴨嘴臉」，讓些微空氣進入，以探索更多風味。再來，就會自然地將口裡的酒吐到吐酒桶。

For professionals － winegrowers, oenologists, sommeliers, wine merchants － tasting wine means assessing its appearance, its interaction with air, its aromas and its taste, as well as its "structure" in the mouth.

對於栽種葡萄者、釀酒學家、侍酒師、酒商等專業人士來說，品酒代表檢視其外觀、與空氣的互相影響、香氣及味道，當然還有在口裡的「層次感」。

People think swallowing the wine will give you more aromas, but that’s false. The aromas often come after the spitting. When the wine mixes with air coming from the nose, spitting can bring out other prevalent aromatic notes, a phenomenon called "retro-olfaction." (AFP)

人們認為，把酒吞進肚裡才會感受更多香氣，這是錯誤觀念。香氣通常是在吐酒後才會出現。當酒與從鼻子進入口中的空氣混合後，將之吐出可帶出其他普遍存在的香氣，這是一種被稱為「鼻後嗅覺」的現象。（法新社）

新聞辭典

frown：動詞，皺眉。例句：He frowned at his son’s exam sheet.（他對著兒子的考卷皺眉。）

whiff：名詞，一陣氣味。例句：When he drew close, I got a whiff of garlic.（當他靠近時，我聞到大蒜味。）

duck face：名詞，做出像鴨子的嘴臉，即嘟嘴表情。例句：She has a habit of making a duck face while taking pictures.（她習慣在拍照時嘟嘴。）

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