Cheers, cheers, cheers and cheers!

No. I was not attending a party as you might think.

But I spent my time there as part of the Wine Tasting Workshop organised by AIS Serenade.

"To experience the real taste of wine, never drink it straight from your mouth through the throat in single stretch," was the first tasting tip from Teera Weerawan, a wine-tasting instructor.

"That's what you'd rather call 'sucking' a wine, not 'sipping'!"

The right way to drink wine, according to Teera, is to allow the wine to touch the tip of your tongue first. Then let it flow under and above the tongue, around the cheeks, gums and teeth before swallowing it down your throat.

"Also, don't forget to catch a breath with your mouth right after you gulp it. This will let you fully absorb its taste," Teera said.

At the workshop, five types of wine were circulated for the test - two whited and three reds. They came from Jacob's Creek in Australia.

Teera, who has more than 10 years of experience in wine tasting, revealed the second tip.

Before drinking, you also have to swish the wine in the glass.

"Swinging the glass before drinking does not have the aim to make the drinker look cool. But it has the purpose of breaking the surface of the wine or to release its real aroma," he said.

The scent can tell you the character of each wine. For example, red wines will have a sweeter smell compared to white wines, which have a more sour sense of smell. Also, strong wines would smell richer than mild ones.

"Don't be shy to poke your nose into the glass and take a deep breath to smell it, otherwise there'll be no way for you the sense the real fragrance," Teera said.

And that's the third tip for tasting wine.

At the end of workshop, I believe each participant had a chance to try up to 10 glasses.

However, I found that no one was drunk since they were allowed to leave wine in the glass without being charged.

Gong Achavanuntakul, 29, said he was impressed with the friendly character of the instructor and his ability to give a clear explanation.

"The atmosphere and size of the venue are quite alright for me, not too big or too small. But I think there should be more light in the room so that I can see the wine colours better."

The class is limited to 20 participants.

To join the next free workshop with AIS Serenade, you must be a subscriber to AIS' cellular service.

Log on to www.aisplus.ais.co.th/serenade/ for more information on the next workshop.

Watchara Saengsrisin

The Nation