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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 11, 2005 Off The Vine Don’t rush wine tours, or worse Lorn Razzano One of the joys of the wonderful world of wine is visiting a winery. Wineries are seemingly everywhere, producing many different types of wines displaying the entire spectrum of flavors from diverse micro soils, winemaker styles and vineyard wizardry. The other great thing about visiting a winery, and this is true in most cases, most wineries are situated on very lovely sites which can be very pastoral and relaxing. Tasting rooms can be from very Spartan to luxurious, and each visit to a different winery is rewarding because of this diversity. Talking to wine people in tasting rooms, tasting the offerings and touring the cellars and estate can make for a lovely Sunday afternoon. Here are the guidelines to make a winery visit enjoyable and rewarding: Designated driver This lands at the top of the list and stays here. It is very important to have a designated driver when visiting a winery, for the obvious and many reasons. Those who think “I’ll only sip” or “I’ll sip and spit” are playing with real fire. If you want a romantic twosome, well, be wise. There are all kinds of tours that book romantic weekends where they do the driving and where you stay at lovely wine country B&B’s. There are plush bus tours as well, sometimes featuring a very knowledgeable wine person to guide you around the winery scene. Please do not sip and drive. Pick a varietal When I go to wineries, I usually stick with one or two different wine varieties to sample. In the Napa Valley, I will spend my time sampling only Cabernet Sauvignon. When in the Portland area only Pinot Noir. I think this is the smart way to experience wineries: Choose the varietal that is best for the growing area or the variety that is best known at that particular winery. If in doubt, ask the wine person in the tasting room what the winery is “best known for.” If the winery person pulls out a “reserve” wine for you to taste, be prepared to pay for the sample. Rarely do wineries give samples of their “flagship” wine without some sort of compensation. Be a good listener The worst experience I ever had at a winery was a “know it all” wine guy who never let the winery tasting room person get along with her descriptions of the wine. I don’t know about other professions, but wine snobs can truly get under your skin. It is best to remember that we are guests at these wineries and the best thing to do is listen to what the winery person has to say. If you think you don’t want to listen and only want to sample, be discreet, take your glass and back away. You will find, like any business, there are very bright and knowledgeable wine employees and there are bored and tired wine employees at every winery — this is simply part of the experience and fun. Be prepared Try to find out about the wineries you are visiting. The Internet is a good place to browse wineries. The other idea is to stop in at a wine shop and ask about the wineries in the area. All wine shop folks are in the know on wineries and can give you a good assessment on the wineries you are thinking about visiting. Find out on the distance you need to travel between wineries and the time you need to allocate for each visit. One of the problems is that many folks try to fit in too many wineries in a short amount of time. This is about having fun and relaxing. Purchasing wine Be choosy! There is a lot of wine out there. One of the big mistakes on winery visits is pulling the trigger too soon. Make notes on the wines you like and visit them again. Most wineries will also ship to your home or office. Don’t feel obligated to purchase because you stepped into a winery tasting room. Buyer’s regret goes something like this: “Ugh, I really like this wine so much better than the wine I just bought at the last place.” Look at your notes, get phone numbers or go back before you leave the area and purchase the wine you truly enjoy. Lastly, have fun, be safe and enjoy this wonderful opportunity. Winery visits are truly a rewarding experience. See you next time! 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