Did you know that a wine tour can be a nice family outing? Your family can tour different wineries, walk their grounds, learn about production methods, visit impressive cellar rooms, and cap each tour off with a wine tasting. It is a tasty experience that lasts about 20 minutes, and children are allowed in most winery tasting rooms.
We have gathered 5 wine tasting etiquette tips to help you make the most of this experience.
1. Dress Comfortably
Most wineries are casual dress, but you can dress up a bit if you like. Since you will be touring multiple wineries, you should dress comfortably. That also goes for shoes, as many tasting rooms are standing-only rooms.
You should also keep in mind that you will only have one free hand, as you will be carrying a wineglass around. So, it is useful to have a bag handy to put away anything else that you may be holding.
2. Avoid Fragrance
Smelling is a huge part of the tasting. A strong fragrance — perfume, cologne, aftershave, and even cigarette or cigar smoke — gets in the way of your ability to smell the wine. It also prevents others from enjoying their wines.
It is proper tasting-room etiquette to not bring any unwanted fragrances into the tasting area.
3. Use a Spittoon
It can be very easy to drink more than you intend to, as those tasting-size pours can add up quickly. To get the full experience, especially if you are touring multiple wineries, it is a good idea to spit the wine into the spittoon buckets (they are there for a reason).
Similarly, if you don’t want to finish a wine for any reason, just pour it out from your glass into a spittoon.
4. Bring Something For The Kids
There will be loads to occupy your kids during a winery tour. Some wineries even have kid-friendly activities on their grounds. However, their options will be limited in the wine tasting room itself.
So, it is a good idea to bring something to keep the kids occupied during the tasting itself.
5. Have a Designated Driver
If you are planning several winery tours in one day, you should have a designated driver in your group who is willing to abstain from drinking to get everyone home safely. If the adults in your group all want to taste, a shuttled wine tour is a fantastic way to accommodate everyone.
There are many options in large wine-producing regions, such as California wine tours in Napa Valley and Southern California.
Wine Tasting Etiquette: Have Fun
There is no “right way” to taste wine. These tips are simply to help make your wine tasting experience, and that of your fellow wine tasters, comfortable and enjoyable. Beyond that, wine tasting comes down to one simple question: do you like what you are drinking?
Wine tours can be a fun outing for you and your family. The grounds can be beautiful and fun to explore, and the cellar tours can be informative and eye-opening. And now that you are armed with some wine tasting etiquette tips, you can comfortably see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savor your wine tasting experience as well.
