In the wine tasting world, there is a special test called the Master Sommelier exam—the pinnacle of expertise—in which candidates must accurately identify six wines (three red, three white) in a blind tasting within about 25 minutes. During this time, they have to nail down the grape varietal, region, and vintage with precision. It’s intense, and failure rates are high—like soul-crushingly high.

The Master Sommelier doesn’t just know those six main types of wine, but also has an enormous vocabulary for describing wines in general, whether they’re distinguished by terroir, aging, etc.

While some people just enjoy a fine wine with dinner, the Master Sommelier can dissect that wine in detail.

I don’t even drink, so why should I care?

To me, there’s just something special about having a good sense of taste. I think it’s because while everyone eats, not everybody thinks about food or understands it as much as they perhaps could.

It’s kind of like the difference between a professional photographer and a tourist with a smartphone. Sure, the tourist is immersed in some interesting stuff and will snap a few good pictures to post on Instagram and show off to their family. But the professional photographer has an eye for lighting, angles, leading lines, the rule of thirds, composition, etc. Thus, when you compare their photographs, there is a stark difference between the two—even if the professional was working on a smartphone as well! And perhaps more importantly, the photographer doesn’t just take better pictures; they understand photography on a deeper level. They have an ability to enjoy photos more than the tourist is able to do.

Eating food is the same way. In a lot of ways, we’re tourists in a world of unending delights—but only if we have the skill and vocabulary to really engage with it.

So how do we taste like a wine taster?

There is a lot that goes into tasting technique—so much in fact that I plan to write multiple articles on it. However, one of the most important things is actually a physical skill that you can master.

It’s about how you breathe.

There is a special technique used by food critics, sommeliers, and chefs called retronasal olfaction. That Latin roughly translates to “breathing behind the nose.” It’s a way to get the aroma from your food to travel up your mouth and through your nose while you’re chewing, giving you full exposure to the flavor of your meal.

This also means that the guy who devoured his whole plate of nachos in the time it took his wife to finish one bite doesn’t necessarily like the food “more” than his wife. It just means he doesn’t know (or doesn’t care) to breathe correctly and allow himself to really taste what he’s eating.

Stop inhaling your food, you troglodyte. Let’s learn how to breathe like a professional.

1. Chew the Food: Take a bite and chew normally. This breaks the food down and releases its flavors.

2. Close Your Mouth and Breathe Slowly: That’s right—chewing with your mouth closed isn’t just polite and a sign of being a civilized person—it's also how you can taste food better! But the other key here is to breathe slowly and calmly. If you’re panting like a dog, you’ll miss out.

3. Fill Your Mouth with Air: As you breathe out, gently push air into your mouth without opening your lips. It’s like inflating a small balloon inside your mouth. This is something we can all do, but not everyone is aware they can do it, so this might take some practice.

4. Exhale Through Your Nose: Once the air fills your mouth, exhale it through your nose while keeping your mouth shut. This sends the aromas of the food up into your nasal passages, enhancing your ability to “taste” through scent.

5. Continue the Process: You can keep repeating this air cycle as you chew, giving yourself multiple waves of flavor as more aromas are released.

This was a concept I learned from my dad when I was a little kid. He and I practice it so frequently that it’s a normal part of my eating routine. Whenever I try something new or am experimenting in the kitchen, I take a bite and very intentionally practice retronasal breathing. It tells me all about the freshness, balance, and doneness of what I’m cooking.

However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that my dad and I realized we’re the only ones in the family that did this. I’ve asked around a bit and taken a few unofficial polls, and anecdotally, most of my friends are aware that they can breathe in this way, they’ve just never considered it in the context of eating, and have therefore never practiced it during a meal.

This is the equivalent of snapping dozens of pictures during your expensive vacation, but never stopping to actually look at them!

Go forth and… breathe?

I usually end my articles with some sort of challenge to cook something awesome, but this time it’s different. If this is your first time learning about retronasal breathing, then welcome to the world of professional tasting. Practice the technique, and you’ll be amazed at the tiny variations you’ll start sensing in your food.

Want some specific practice? Try tasting some foods side by side:

Taste a tiny sample of every vinegar you own. Breathe over them. How do they compare? Better yet, buy multiple brands of the same vinegar. What makes them different?

Here’s my favorite challenge: Go to a chocolatier (no, the candy aisle at the grocery store doesn’t count), and buy a variety of single-source chocolates. Don’t be afraid of the dark chocolate—it’s actually good if you’re buying high-quality single source. Taste your chocolates side by side and practice breathing. It will blow your mind how different they all are.

If you want to really enjoy your food, this is one of the most valuable skills you can learn. I’m surprised I haven’t written about it before. It’s not just about eating anymore, it’s about tasting.