• Wine Regions
    • Napa Valley Wine Country Guide
    • Healdsburg – Russian River Wine Country
    • Sonoma Valley Wine Country Planning Guide
    • Mendocino Wine Country
    • Carneros
    • Paso Robles Wine Country
    • Santa Barbara Wine Country
    • Livermore Valley wineries
    • Lodi Wineries
    • Sierra Foothills Wineries
    • Monterey Wineries
    • Santa Cruz Wineries
    • Lake County Wine Country
    • Yolo County Wine Country
  • Tasting Room Guide
    • Tasting Room Etiquette
    • How to Taste Wine
    • Bocce Wineries
    • Organic Wineries
    • The Wine Country Picnic
    • Vineyard Year
    • Best wine country backroads
    • Winery Wine Clubs
    • Buying Wine at a Winery
    • Wine Varietals
    • Wine Appellations
    • Solar Wineries in California
    • How many bottles of wine in a barrel?
    • Hiking in Wine Country
  • Wine Guide
    • Pairing Food & Wine
      • Which wines for dinner?
    • Which Wine Glass
    • Decanting wine
    • Which Corkscrew works best
    • Corkage Fees
    • Corked Wine
      • Preserving Wine – what to do with the unfinished bottle of wine
    • Hosting a Wine Tasting Party – How to pull it off
      • Hosting a Serious Wine Tasting Party
      • How to Host a Fun and Casual Wine Tasting Party
      • Wine Scoring Sheets | Wine Tasting Forms | Wine Scorecards
      • Checklist for Successful Wine Tasting
    • Wine Gifts for Wine Geeks
      • Best Wine Books
      • Top Ten Wine Cookbooks
      • Best wine fiction books
    • Best Wine Bargains
    • Wine Collection Tips
  • Wine Country Insider
    • Wine Trails off the Beaten Path
    • Quick Getaways
    • Hiking in Wine Country
    • When to Visit Wine Country
    • How to decide which wine region to visit
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
You are here: Home / Archives for Things to do wine Tasting

Six things you need to do when you go wine tasting

February 23, 2018 by Joe Becerra

niner estate paso robles

Niner Wine Estate tasting room in Paso Robles

 

Six things you need to do when you go wine tasting

As Spring approaches, the vineyards awaken from their winter sleep, and it’s time to go wine tasting in California, Oregon and Washington. Whether a first-timer or veteran wine country traveler, we offer these six things you need to do when you go wine tasting. Be safe and get the most out of your wine country getaway.

Designated Driver

It seems obvious yet, time and time again, people drive under the influence. It is easy enough to do if you visit several wineries for wine tasting. The local sheriff and Highway Patrol are always patrolling the main routes and popular backroads. Have a designated driver or hire a driver for the day. It is not worth the risk of endangering your life and the lives of others or spending the night in jail.

van-tours vs limos

Hire a driver for your day of wine tasting

Visit a small number of wineries

Don’t try and jam in a packed day of visiting tasting rooms. The idea is to discover a winery, take a tour, or do a food pairing, or a barrel tasting. Sip and enjoy the wines and enjoy the conversation about the wines with your server and others in the tasting room. We recommend three wineries in one day. One in the mid to late morning,  one at lunchtime, and finish with a late afternoon visit. A picnic lunch at a winery is a terrific way to relax and enjoy the serenity of wine country.

Picnicking at a winery is always relaxing and fun

No distractions in the tasting room

This means no cologne or perfume. Strong scents are a no-no in the tasting room. It interferes with your tasting senses as well as others in the room. The tasting room guests will surely be put off by these fragrances. Keep the conversation down. Have fun but be courteous to others in the tasting room.  A big distraction in the tasting room can be unruly children. Same goes for pets.

Hall Winery in St. Helena

Don’t be a distraction in the tasting room

Think twice about joining the wine club

For a winery, the wine club is a huge source of income. Direct sales to their wine club members are the most profitable arrangement for selling wine. Wine clubs can be fun for members. Perks include winery parties and food events. Some wine clubs offer certain wines only to wine club members. It is often tempting to join a wine club because the wine is excellent, your server is gracious, and perhaps you are a bit overserved. You are in a vulnerable situation.  But, how about shipping costs? How about receiving varieties of wines that are not your favorites? The wine events usually are costly. We have joined several wine clubs over our many years of wine tasting. We have learned from experience that it is best not to join a winery’s wine club.  The Pros and Cons of joining a winery’s wine club.

should I join a wine club at a winery

This winelover just joined the wine club at this winery

Make it Educational

The main aspect of visiting wine country is having fun, but also make it educational.  Use the tasting notes provided in the tasting room and see if you can detect the listed aromas and characteristics. Ask questions about how the wine was fermented and aged.  A wine pairing with small snacks or appetizers is helpful in learning how wine interacts with food. How about doing a barrel tasting? Find out what wine tastes like in the barrel after just a few months or one year. A vineyard walk is always informative.

tour guide burgundy

A bottle of wine begins in the vineyard

Buy some Wine

Tasting fees can vary from wine region to wine region. Napa Valley is the most expensive followed by Sonoma. If the wine tasting fees are not way out of line, it is always nice to help out the wineries by purchasing wine. This is especially true for the small family-owned wineries. The small wineries usually do not have a distributor, and direct sales are the best way to be profitable.

A six pack of wine is a great way to bring back memories of your trip

 

Filed Under: Tasting Rooms Tagged With: Things to do wine Tasting, Traveling to wine country

Wine Country Updates from Janelle and Joe

Subscribe to our wine country reports

* indicates required


Latest from the Blog

  • Wine Country Photography for Wine Lovers. Frame it
    A Vineyard Year
  • Daffodil Hill in Wine Country
  • Do You Know Napa Valley’s Big Three?
-->

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY REGIONS:

Carneros • Livermore • Lodi • Mendocino • Monterey • Napa Valley • Paso Robles • Santa Barbara County • Santa Cruz Mts. • Sierra Foothills • Russian River • Sonoma Valley

Connect With Us

Want to keep up with Wine Country Getaways? Follow us across our social networks!

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Twitter

Sign up for wine country news from Janelle and Joe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2021 · Wine COuntry Getaways