For true lovers of wine there are a few things as gratifying as a wine-tasting tour. You bounce from one winery to another and sip on some of the best wines in the country, widening your palate and learning more about what you like and don’t like in wine. But going on a wine-tasting is a little more complex than a night out with the girls; there is particular etiquette involved.
Way too often people sign-up for wine tours without getting familiar with wine-tasting etiquette and end up making the following mistakes:
Confuse the tasting room with a bar
A wine-tasting room is NOT a bar. In a bar you can get away with being sloppy but in wine-tasting tours you’re expected to be classy. You can’t scream across the room, you should not interrupt the employees when they’re talking and you should avoid talking loudly.
Winemakers go out of their way to make wine-tasting a pleasant experience and a noisy visitor can really disrupt the ambience the winemaker is trying to create.
Not asking questions
During wine-tasting, you’re expected to ask questions about the wine and how it’s made. Wine makers love talking about their wines and they appreciate it when you show interest in what they have to say. If you don’t ask questions, they may assume that you’re bored or just don’t care.
The tasting room staff expects to converse with you so ask them anything you can think of related to the wine and how it was made.
Acting like you’re drunk
Being drunk or acting like your drunk is perfectly acceptable at a bar or a club but at a wine-tasting, it’s inappropriate.
Not spitting every now and then
You’re going to be sipping on a whole lot of wine on a wine-tasting tour. The only way you’ll get through it is by spitting out some of the samples.
Not purchasing bottle or two
If genuinely enjoyed a wine, the winery staff will expect you to take home a bottle. If you’re from out of the country, they’re more than happy to send over the bottle via mail.
Are you ready to go on your next wine-tasting tour? We offer wine-tasting tours in California’s Wine Country in areas such as Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos and more. Check out our packages and make a booking today!