Why do you swirl the glass?
Girare: jee-RAH-reh. To turn/rotate. Bicchiere: beek-KYEH-reh — the glass.
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.
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.
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.
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.