Why would a winegeek like me want to write about two weeks without wine? Well, it’s not some experiment to see if I can go without. You see, like many folks in this country, I have a good too many pounds around the waistline. And I’ve heard from a couple of docs that while my blood chemistry is in decent shape, it could use some improvement. So, I’ve elected to use the South Beach Diet to get both things under control. I’m not one for fad diets, but reading the book and checking up on the science tells me this isn’t a bad idea at all.

Phase One lasts two weeks, and you eliminate all refined sugars and carbohydrates from the diet. This is done to sort of reset a switch in the body that tells the body how to process these things. After that, you add back in healthy carbohydrates–whole wheat pasta, for example. The cool thing is, after the first two weeks, wine is not only allowed, it’s encouraged a bit because of its health benefits.

So, for the next week and a half, I have to finish up Phase One, then I can begin drinking wine again.

What does this all have to do with wine education? I’ll tell you.

Wine students need to learn how to spit.

Yes, spit.

You see, while most of society rightly frowns on spitting in public, it’s perfectly acceptable in wine circles when the taster doesn’t want to consume the alcohol. The method is helpful to people who have to (have to?) taste a bunch of wines but don’t want to get intoxicated.

But I realized this week that spitting isn’t that easy. I mean, it’s easy to get wine out of your mouth, and all over the sink, all down your chin, and so on. There’s definitely a technique to spitting liquid out of your mouth, but it’s easy to pick up.

So here’s your educational tip for January 31: learn how to spit. Take some water, stand over the sink, lean over the sink and try it. The trick is to expel the water and air out completely. It’s not a spray, it’s not letting the water run out of your mouth, but a subtle push. Think of saying “whit” with a bit of a whistle on the “i” part. That seems to do the trick, although there may be others.

Perhaps El Jefe can offer some advice from his tasting room.

Oh yeah, and about the diet–I’m down 4.5 pounds. Feels kind of good. (Please note that the South Beach Diet, while it’s working for me, may not work for you. Your mileage may vary. Check with your physician before beginning a weight loss plan.)