Tasting room etiquette.

So, you're in wine country for a vacation.  You spot a cute looking winery, and their tasting room is open!  You walk in, and you're confronted by a bar with bottles, and a friendly looking person behind it asks you if you'd like to try their wonderful Sauvignon Blanc.  What should you do?

Chat with the host; ask about the wines.  I mean, you're in the tasting room, you're obviously interested, right?  Don't be a silent lump!  These people know more about the wine than you do -- they can often point you to the block of the vineyard where it came from, explaining why this one has a hint of mint while that one tastes of cocoa.

The order of tasting will almost always be white, rose, red, dessert.  If there's a variance, ask why, as it'll give your host a chance to talk about the wines and why this white follows those reds, or whatever the variance is.

There's often a fee.  It'll be upfront.  Sometimes you get something for the fee (a glass to keep, for example, or a the fee is applied to pay for wines you purchase at the tasting room).  Sometimes you don't.  There's no standard for that -- just accept it and move on.

If you're offered a bonus of some kind during a tasting -- be it a reserve wine, something offbeat that's not for sale yet... accept!  I once watched someone turn down a tasting of a pre-release rose of Pinot Noir that was absolutely amazing because "I only drink red and white, not pink."  Insanity!

The same goes for taking a quick tour -- you're in wine country, why on earth would you not want to see the winery?  Take some pictures -- wineries are often quite photogenic.  Ask questions -- why does the winery use new barrels for this wine, and used barrels for that one?  It'll improve your appreciation of all wines, not just the ones of the winery you're visiting.

Actively taste.  A tasting room isn't a bar.  Slamming down wine is bad form.

The spittoons are there for a reason -- again, it's not a bar, you're not there to get drunk, so spit your wines.  Especially if you're going to be driving.

The crackers are a palate cleanser, not a snack.  If you want a snack, bring your own (although, some wineries do have light snacks for sale in their tasting rooms).

If you want a second taste of a wine, that's fine, but you should buy a bottle of something at that point.  Remember that the tasting room is also a store -- the wines should be priced reasonably competitively with retail, and there's often tasting-room-only wines (eg, Sobon's Tempranillo, Heitz's Grignolino and Port).  The words "I can get this less expensively at home," should be banished from your vocabulary.  The producer's gross profit on wines sold on-site is 100%.  On wines sold at retail, it's around 30% (more or less).  You want to support a favorite producer?  Buy a bottle directly.  It'll be a souvenir you can savor at home.

Photo of the Martin Ray tasting room, from Sonoma Uncorked.

Visiting a winery

When going to a visit a winery, you'll find some variation on the following speech.  Always.

"Welcome to Chateau du grandmere d'taurieau¹!  Our winemaking philosophy is simple; great wine begins in the vineyard.  We selectively harvest only the best grapes from our vineyards, which are then gently handled and vinified using labor-intensive techniques, to fully express the terroir of [appellation].  That's how we've done it since the Taurieau family founded this winery, [number of years] ago."

Cutting through the marketing, basically what's being said is "we try to get good grapes, and treat them well.  Since everyone else does this -- excepting giant bulk producers -- we have to make it sound more artesianal."

This is often followed by the phrase:

"So, please, try our wonderful [appellation] Sauvignon Blanc."

I'll note that, in general, the Sauvignon Blanc isn't all that wonderful.  There are exceptions (Barnett, pictured above, and Sobon both come to mind), but for the most part the Sauvignon Blanc is slightly sweet and low acidity; it's there to whet your appetite for the more serious wine.  And, perhaps, to dull your palate a bit.

You'll then be given three or four other wines, culminating in their best (read: most expensive):

"Finally, our most select lots go into this wine, our tete de cuvee.  Note the depth and complexity of the flavor, the power, and the little hint of [odd flavor], the signature of the terroir of [appellation]."

Of course, the best is saved for last, after you've had 3 or 4 tasting pours -- just over a glass.  Your palate will have been dulled slightly, and (if this isn't your first winery visit of the day), perhaps you're even a bit buzzed.  So, of course, you're just a bit more suggestable.  And more likely to buy the tete de cuvee (which, generally, really is their best, although I often wonder if it's worth the price).  Yes, it does have a hint of mint, or fresh asparagus, or whatever the odd flavor is, but does that make it worth twice the price of their regular offerings?

Again, I'll note exceptions -- Sobon Estates, for example, has a tete de cuvee zin that is over twice the price of their regular offering.  A whopping $25 for their Reserve Paul's Vineyard, as opposed to the $11 Hillside.   And, yes, it is worth it.  I'll post a review Monday, in fact, of some of the wines in their lineup, as I realized that I've had just about everything out of their winery when the winemaker came to visit my local wine store last year.

You may also get, at this point, an invitation to join their wine club, by whatever name they call it.  Honestly, this is often a good deal -- you get wine, generally their new releases, on a regular basis, and there are often other benefits (generally the price for the wines is lower, you get access to library releases and club-exclusive wines -- which can be either experimental wines, or are just really low-production).  But, think before you sign on the dotted line!  Do you really want their wine on a regular basis?  Is it unavailable in your local wine shop?  If so, is it less expensive in your local wine shop (often, the vineyard is the most expensive place to buy a wine)?  Maintaining several mailing list memberships can be quite expensive!

¹ I couldn't resist the pun here.  Does anyone else notice it?

On the road... touring Napa & Sonoma.

I'm going to be travelling in wine country in California in about a year (it'll be a road-trip bachelor party; wine and food trumps beer and strippers!).  So, I'm in the process of planning where to visit.

Of course, since I work in the wine industry, that's a bit easier for me -- I can count on our corporate office to arrange some tasting tours for me.  But, were I a civilian, how would I go about it?

The first thing would be to call wineries I was interested in -- either because I've had their wine and liked it, or because I'd like to try their wines.  Ask for recommendations -- both from friends who've visited the area, and from your local wine shop staff (you'd be surprised how many staff members have gone to a number of areas for wine tours!).  Check out wine blogs -- both reviewers and winery blogs -- for ideas as well!

Assume a tour and tasting will take an hour or so (after all, this is a chance to relax, not to recreate the Bataan march in wine country, so no power-tasting!).  Schedule the  visits about 2-3 hours apart -- so, if presuming the schedule was tasting from 10 AM (when most wineries open up) to 5 PM, I'd schedule 3 to 4 tastings a day.

Why schedule such long breaks?  Simple -- ask at the winery, "where should I go next?  I'm going to be at [wherever] in 2 hours, so what would you recommend?"  The folks at the winery will be far more knowledgeable of the hidden gems in the area than anyone else.  So take their advice!

Additionally, you might just see someplace that appeals to you -- so have enough latitude in your schedule to be able to visit!

Also, as a note -- tastings in Napa and Sonoma are not free.  Expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $50 for a tasting flight (4-5 wines), depending on where you go and what menu you choose.  The costs will be higher for Big Name wineries (eg, Opus One, Silver Oak), and higher for reserve and library selections.  Yet another reason to avoid the Big Name wineries -- your tasting dollar goes further off the beaten track!  Yes, there are exceptions, but plan on paying.

What about food?  Well, again, ask.  There's always places that non-locals can recommend (personally, I'm a fan of Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena -- try the duck burgers!), but really, why not ask the locals (that's how I found Cindy's!), as new restaurants open up all the time.  Alternately... what's the phrase, "a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou."  Picnic overlooking the vineyards -- many tasting rooms have a small picnic area (Heitz has back patio for picnicking, for example, and Von Strasser has a front patio where I'm sure they wouldn't mind you enjoying a sandwich).  I would check before planning, though, to make sure it's OK.  Still, how could you beat popping into a winery for their new release Pinot Noir, picking up a bottle, spreading out some gourmet sandwiches (there's a Dean & Delucca in Napa.  'nuff said.), popping open your new find, and relaxing for a half-hour? 

How about getting from point A to point B?  There are a number of limo/town car services that will drive you around wine country, and I would recommend these wholeheartedly.  If you're not spitting at your tastings, you'll be taking in a lot of wine -- the last thing I'd want a reader to get as a souvenir from wine country would be a DWI.  At the very least, make sure you have a designated driver.  As a side note, many of the limo services will have set tastings that they go to; these can be a great way to see "off the beaten track" wineries, but if you've got tastings arranged, let them know when you book, as they'll happily work around your schedule.

So, in a nutshell, that's how you'd arrange a slightly hectic, but unique, visit to wine country.  Now, as for how to get your new finds back from wine country... well, that's another thing entirely -- I'd recommend shipping your luggage home via UPS or FedEx, and checking a case of wine (labeled "fragile") as your baggage for the flight home.  Because, you know, you've got to have some souvenirs!  Especially when you consider that some wines are still only available at the winery (for example, did you know that Heitz makes a port? Yep.  You'll probably only see it in their tasting room.).