Dos and Don’ts for the Tasting Room
Ok, so I’m not Emily Post, nor have a read any of her books. However, I have worked in a winery tasting room and a variety of other retail positions that have sculpted my view on how we should be treating each other and conducting ourselves in public situations. It is true that I am not a perfect model of public conduct one hundred percent of the time. (Most of us aren’t.) But I do make conscious efforts to treat people the way I would like to be treated and to act properly in most situations.
Given snobby people’s gravitation towards wine, the tasting room can be a breeding ground for snobbery, bad attitudes and people who think they are entitled to anything they want. The victims in this situation are generally the people working the tasting bar and certain wine novices who may ask an innocent question and be scowled or laughed at for it. For some reason, certain people think it is okay to laugh at someone or give them a hard time for not knowing the answer to a question. To me, this is ridiculous and uncalled for. In my opinion wine is a fantastic drink and has an amazing history that can captivate even the close-minded. To some it is merely a beverage or a means of reaching a drunken state. Whatever an individuals view is on wine, the fact that remains constant is that wine, is fermented grape juice and even though some wines can live for ages while employing the headiest of aromas and flavors which can lead to euphoric states……….It doesn’t deserve a pedestal. Just as a vast knowledge of wine isn’t a license to give somebody crap for not owning the same knowledge.
Here are some dos and don’ts for the tasting room according to yours truly. (If I come off like a jerk I’m sorry. It’s not my intent and I assure you many others share my view.)
DO:~ Keep an open mind to all sorts of wines. Why short yourself? Even if you don’t like the wine, you are expanding your pallet and broadening your knowledge.
~ Be friendly and respect everyone else in the room this includes staff and other tasters. The tasting room is a great place to meet people and make connections. Everyone is there to enjoy themselves: this includes you.
~ Take your time tasting through the wines. Pay attention to what you are smelling and tasting. The human mind can remember hundreds if not thousands of smells and tastes.
~ Ask questions!!! If you don’t know…ask. The only dumb questions are the ones we don’t ask. If someone gives a hard time, blow them a kiss and smile.
~ Give yourself adequate time to taste wine. If you are in a hurry, why are you out tasting wine? Nobody else needs to be rushed because you were a poor judge of time, especially staff. It’s not your place to make their job difficult; their bosses probably have that covered. Move along.
~ Relax and enjoy yourself. Wine is a social experience and is meant to be shared.
~ If you like it, drink it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
~ Spit!!! Spitting is heavily encouraged. Drinking every sample will get you buzzed faster than you think. Once you’re intoxicated your palate will not be as sharp and most of the wines will taste the same. It’s a responsible act, especially if driving. Most wine industry folk spit, so why not you? It’s a respectable thing to do. If you aren’t driving and you want to get your buzz on then feel free, but remember to be decent. DON’T:~ Don’t rush; I will repeat this again. Wine tasting is something to be patient with and enjoy. If you need to get on a flight, or get to dinner then what are you doing at a winery? Rushing the staff or other customers isn’t going to help your experience. They will probably slow down just to spite you. Sit back, relax and enjoy your experience. Hell, kick off your shoes and go lay on the grass when you are done.~ Perfumes, colognes and other fragrances are great, but they are a no no in the tasting room. They make it very difficult for you and others to smell the wines. Since 90% of tasting is smell, you aren’t doing yourself or anyone else any favors. Please leave them at home if you are going wine tasting.~ More cosmetics that don’t help are lipsticks and lip glosses. Both items leave nasty stains on the glasses and it’s actually a pain to remove from the glass once its on there (especially if the glass gets washed without removing it first). Aside from the staining power most lip glosses are fragranced or flavored. This aroma will interfere with the wine’s aroma and you will find yourself asking why your cabernet smells like Kiwi Strawberry Dream. Do yourself a favor and wipe the stuff off before you taste. The tasting room associate who has to wash the glasses will be appreciative as well.
~ Wineries are not swap meets. Don’t try to haggle on the price. Most wineries offer volume discount and if you buy enough wine many of them will throw something in. You don’t argue the price at the mall or the grocery store, so what makes you thing you should get the wine cheaper. Wine is a treat and not everyone can afford expensive bottles. If you have the money and the intention of buying wine then you don’t really need a lower price. What would your response be if someone came into your business and told they thought they should get a 30% discount? You would probably laugh at them. If you want the wine, step up and buy it. People don’t open wineries because they like to give stuff away.
~ Don’t crowd the tasting bar if it’s busy. Everyone wants to be able to taste and everyone can if you allow them in. It works best and is most enjoyable when you get your sample and step back to taste. Give yourself some time with each taste. You will enjoy it more.
~ If your children are poorly behaved it might be best to leave them with the babysitter. While most people love kids, a tasting room may not always be the best place for them (especially if they like to touch and grab everything). Nobody wants to pay for a broken bottle of wine.
~If you end up drunk, don’t be surprised if you get cut off. Wineries take their liquor license very seriously and are not willing to lose their business on your account.
~ Don’t be obnoxious. It will get you cut off or asked to leave…. then you can go sit in the car like a scolded child. We all know how much fun that is.
~ Do not attempt to pour your own wine. It may be hard to believe, but tasting room associates get paid to pour wines for you. Not to mention that the winery can lose its license. I can’t imagine they would be too happy with you if that happened.
~ Don’t ask for a glass of wine if the winery doesn’t sell glass pours. Remember you are there to “taste,” not drink. Most places will let you taste a wine twice. If you want a glass of wine, buy a bottle or go to the bar. There are laws in all states that limit the legal amount a winery can serve you. Again, possible loss of liquor license. Don’t be a pest.
~ If bringing children to the winery, please don’t attempt to serve them wine. We are not in Europe or any other foreign country. If you want to serve your kids wine at home then that’s your business. If you haven’t already guessed, this could be a loss of license for the winery. Go figure.
~ Don’t tell the server how much to pour you. They will pour you the legal amount. If there is too much wine left then simply dump it out. Many people like to use the excuse that they don’t want to waste the wine. Nobody at the winery cares. The wines are written up as samples and written off for tax purposes. Why do you think we call them samples? It is difficult to pour a really tiny amount, most of the time it cause someone to spill the wines and then you truly waste it. Any wine tasted has not been wasted.
That’s about all I have for now. These are some pretty simple guidelines that will make your tasting room experience more pleasurable. Remember, wine is supposed to be fun and enjoyable for everyone. Let’s help keep it that way.