While wine tours may appear to be designed for connoisseurs, they can be a memorable experience for anyone who enjoys wine. Whether you’re attending a formal wine tasting event or joining a casual wine tour, these etiquette and wine tour tips can enhance your experience.
Booking a Wine Tour
Whether you’re a seasoned wine taster or a novice, exploring wineries and tasting rooms offers an enjoyable opportunity to sample new wines and discover your preferences. If you’re gearing up for your first wine tasting trip, you might be curious about the etiquette for tasting wines in public settings and how to book a wine tour to suit your preferences. So, how do you decide which tour is right for you?
Choosing the Right Tour
Wine tours offer an excellent opportunity to discover the wines of a region. Nonetheless, these experiences can differ significantly. Here are some tips to help you choose which wine tour to book:
- Do some research
- Decide what type of wine tour you would prefer: a small or large group or even private
- Read the reviews for the wine tour company
- Get referrals from friends and family
At Winery Guys Tours, we offer wine tours around the Niagara region for a range of group sizes. This includes both shared and private tour options to suit your needs, including Wine and Charcuterie Shared Tours, Private VIP Wine Tours and more. We are proud to have been the #1 Ranked Wine Tour in Niagara on TripAdvisor for 6 years running!
Making Reservations
While many wineries used to welcome walk-in visitors, most now require reservations due to limited capacity and the growing popularity of wine tours. In some regions, booking in advance is even mandatory. If you're a solo traveller in an area that doesn’t require advanced reservations, it’s still a good idea to reach out to wineries ahead of time to check their walk-in policies, especially on weekends. This extra step can help avoid disappointment if the winery you’re excited about has specific booking requirements.
For a hassle-free and fully curated experience, we recommend joining one of our wine tours. With us, you don’t have to worry about making reservations—we take care of all the details for you! Our tours are designed to provide a seamless journey, allowing you to visit multiple wineries and enjoy a truly immersive wine experience.
Basic Wine Tasting Etiquette Tips
The Importance of Punctuality
In wine tasting etiquette, being on time is essential. Arriving punctually shows respect for both the host and fellow guests. If you're attending a wine tour, tardiness can interrupt the proceedings and may cause you to miss out on vital insight into the wines that you will be tasting.
Tasting Room Behaviour
Understanding your preferences is important, but wine tasting is an excellent opportunity to explore new flavours or revisit ones you may have previously disliked. Remember, you’re sampling, and you are not obligated to purchase every bottle you taste. A wine might unexpectedly delight you, so approach your tasting experience with an open mind and sample a range of wines. Here are some other tips to help you have an enjoyable wine tasting experience.
Don't Wear Any Fragrance
A big part of wine tasting lies in the aromas, and wearing a strong fragrance, whether perfume or aftershave, can quickly ruin that sensory experience for both yourself and others. Competing scents may also distort your perception of the wine's flavours. For this reason, it’s advisable to refrain from wearing any fragrances when visiting a winery or tasting room.
Cleanse Your Palate Between Wines
If water is available, it’s wise to take a sip and rinse your glass between each pour to refresh your palate from the preceding wine. You might also find crackers or small hors d’oeuvres. Remember, these are meant to cleanse your palate and are not a replacement for a meal.
Don't Drink Too Much
Wine tasting should be enjoyable, and it’s entirely acceptable to indulge and have fun. However, if you’re new to wine tasting, it’s easy to consume more than you meant, and overly intoxicated tasters can become quite bothersome to others at the tasting. While there’s no obligation to stick to a specific tasting method, taking these steps and savouring each wine can enhance your experience and help you avoid drinking too quickly:
- Look: Observe the colour, clarity, and overall appearance of the wine.
- Swirl: Pay attention to the viscosity of the wine. The more droplets sticking to the side, the higher the alcohol content.
- Smell: Gently raise the glass to your nose and take in the aromas. Think about what you smell and what you don't, and anticipate what the wine will taste like.
- Sip: Take a sip, let it roll around in your mouth for a moment, and savour the taste.
Spit or Dump Your Wine
Those new to wine tasting might be taken aback to learn that spitting or dumping out your wine at a tasting is completely acceptable. If you’re sampling at several wineries or tasting rooms in a single day, it's wise to limit your wine consumption by spitting or pouring out some after your taste.
Be Sure to Hold Your Glass by the Stem
During a wine tasting, you should always hold your glass by the stem. Gripping it by the bowl can leave unsightly fingerprints that obscure your view of the wine and impact the temperature, altering the taste. Surprisingly, holding your glass by the stem is a fundamental principle of wine-tasting etiquette.
Ask as Many Questions as You Would Like
Don’t hesitate to ask the host or pourer any questions that you may have about the winery, the wine you are tasting or anything else wine-related. If you want to learn about the origins or production techniques of a specific wine you’re sampling, they are here to share their knowledge. In wine tasting, there really are no foolish questions. Asking questions demonstrates your curiosity and enhances your tasting experience!
Do you tip on a wine tour?
Most wineries charge a tasting fee, which is covered by the cost of booking a guided wine tour. Even so, tipping is often appreciated at most wineries and tasting rooms. If you’ve had an exceptional experience, tried more wines than planned, or are with a large group, tipping your pourer is generally considered a thoughtful gesture.
It's also customary to show appreciation for your tour guide with a tip as they play a key role in ensuring your safety and enhancing your experience.
Are you excited to explore the fascinating world of wine? Join one of our exclusive wine tours. Suitable for beginners and experienced enthusiasts, our tours provide an in-depth, interactive experience designed to enhance wine-tasting abilities and understanding.