6 Things to Remember if You’re New to Wine Tasting
Wine can be an intimidating arena to get in to. I’ve talked to many people about wine and wine tasting, and a lot of times people feel apprehensive about it. On the one hand, wine tasting is pretty fun. On the other hand, someone could feel uneasy or unsure about how to behave or engage during their experience. Let’s demystify a few things today and consider what you can do to show up to your wine tasting feeling a little more ready.
Make an appointment - There was a time where tasting rooms would commonly allow walk-ins, but after the pandemic a significant number of wineries have moved to an appointment-only system. If you show up without a booking, most places will try to accommodate you, but there’s no guarantee that will happen. A winery may be booked for an event, be short-staffed, or could be at capacity. It feels bad to do so, but I have turned guests away at our tasting room for these reasons. Fortunately, it’s usually very easy to book an appointment online, so it’s worth the 5 minutes to make a reservation. Some places still take walk-ins, and tend to make it clear on their website.
Ask questions - Your host for your tasting will usually introduce the wines you taste. Along the way, they may use some words you don’t understand. Don’t be afraid to just stop your host and ask for clarification. Questions such as, “What’s tannin?”, “What foods pair well with this wine?”, or, “What’s a wine that your winery is really known for?” might help you connect more with what you drink. Learning and discovery are rewarding aspects of wine tasting! That said, you don’t want to turn it into an interrogation of your server, but a short back-and-forth establishes some rapport and often goes a long way to getting better service.
It’s ok to not like something - Not all wines connect with you. Frankly, there are some legitimately high quality wines out there that I don’t like. It’s not a personal attack to have preferences, so long as you express your opinions respectfully. Wine is subjective. Your servers really should have thick skin when it comes to this if they are true professionals. What’s a nice way to say this? Something along the lines of, “Hey, this particular wine isn’t really my thing. Can I move on to the next wine?” should do just fine. (The server could give you a dump bucket where you can just pour the wine out, or if you have a flight of glasses, just leave the wine untouched.) One last thing: by speaking up, you might alert your host to help you avoid other wines they think you might dislike, and you may instead get something else that suits you better!
You’re not obligated to buy/join the club - The vast majority of the time, a good tasting room won’t sell you too hard. They may give you a short pitch, but that’s their job. Don’t buy things you don’t want. You don’t have to feel guilty over it. (Of course, if you love a wine, go for it! Bringing home a bottle with good memories attached to it is a story for yourself!) That said, if the service was decent, leaving a tip is good practice. Keep in mind that your hosts are genuine professionals. There’s a lot that goes in to preparing a tasting, a tour, or a story aboout the wine itself. The gratuity doesn’t have to be huge, but use some good judgment the same way you might estimate a reasonable tip for a meal at a restaurant.
Watch how much you drink - Really. I know a lot of us like getting buzzed and having a good time, but take care of yourself. It can be so easy to lose track of how much you drink when you don’t pay attention. Many wineries are pretty generous with their service, so you need to be ready to say no, or regulate how many tastings you have in a day (e.g. if you’re on a trip to Napa).
Have fun! - Enjoy yourself! You don’t need to develop poetic tasting notes and be a wine guru to have a good time. If you learn to put one or two labels on what you’re tasting with a wine, that’s awesome! If it just tastes like wine but you like it, also cool! Bring friends and family you love, find a wine that suits you, and take each tasting as it comes.
As you do this more and more, you’ll find the tasting spots you love, maybe join a club, collect your favorite varietals, and so on. Before you know it, you’ll be a wine tasting veteran!