Your first time wine tasting can be a bit intimidating.  What should you wear?  How should you hold the glass?  Are you obligated to buy a bottle of wine?  Do you tip your server?

Luckily, here’s a guide that will help you address some of the most commonly asked questions about wine tasting.  So, take a deep breath, relax and prepare yourself for a great time!

PLANNING YOUR WINE TASTING EXPERIENCE

Reservations?
I always recommend making reservations for the vineyards and tasting rooms that you most want to visit.  Yes, you can do the ‘pop in’ and risk the chance of being turned away, but a little pre-planning ensures that you get to enjoy the experiences that are top of your list.

How many vineyards in a day?
Generally, two to three is the maximum you should plan in a single day.  If you are in an area with multiple tasting rooms (ie. downtown Napa or Los Olivos), you can hop around a bit more, but for onsite tastings at vineyards, you need to consider drive time and the fact that you will want to spend a good 90-minutes (or sometimes more) onsite at each location.

Dress
I’m a big fan of “dress to impress” when it comes to wine tasting.  Honestly, when else do you get to dress up with your friends and day drink?!  Also, you know you want to look Instagram worthy in your photos!

All joking aside, check the weather to establish your dress code, but I always suggest comfortable shoes (especially if you are going to stroll through the vineyard) and a sweater or jacket that can be layered in case you tour a wine cellar or are indoors.

Tipping
Yes, you should definitely tip the wonderful people who are serving you and educating you about their wines.  I don’t have a hard rule about tipping (ie.  a percentage of your total bill), but generally will tip between $20 – $50 per hour of my experience, going as high as $100 per hour when someone has truly gone above in terms of service.

Do I have to join the wine club?
No, unless you want to!  I’ve joined wine clubs out of my love of the wine and the people behind the experience.  I’ve also joined wine clubs because the cost offset my tasting experience and made financial sense to commit to 2 – 3 shipments at a discount, and then cancel.

 For me, joining a wine club needs to fill a few checkboxes:

1.     I need to love the majority of the wines, or be able to edit the shipments to include the wines that I like.
2.     I need to be able to take advantage of tasting experiences and special events that are offered to wine club members (ie. I don’t want to live too far away).
3.     I need to enjoy the people and the vibe of the vineyard, and feel that they are welcoming, knowledgeable, and care about delivering a quality experience, at whatever level that may be.

Tasting Times
Most vineyards and tasting rooms accept their first seating around 10:00 – 11:00am, and their final around 4:00 – 4:30pm.  I like to schedule my first tasting around 11:00am, followed by a fabulous lunch somewhere, and my second tasting around 2:00pm.  Remember, you want to plan around 90-minutes for each tasting experience, plus drive time.

If you are doing downtown Napa, or vineyards in close proximity, you can schedule a morning tasting and then two afternoon tastings, especially if you nosh at one of the tasting rooms that offers food.  Just don’t overbook yourself, or you won’t be able to truly experience each location…and, who wants to be stressed on your wine weekend?!

Food
If you are out and about for a day of wine tasting, make sure that you plan to eat during your adventures.  This will give you a break from drinking, and make sure that you have something in your stomach to absorb the alcohol!  

Some vineyards and tasting rooms offer food options for purchase and/or allow you to bring your own picnic.  Just check with each beforehand so you are aware of their policies.  Areas with tasting rooms (ie. Napa, Los Olivos) usually have outstanding dining options in close proximity.

Accommodations
Planning to spend a night or two?  Throughout wine country, you can find plenty of Bed & Breakfasts, luxury inns, international hotel chains, boutique hotels, and rental properties.  There’s truly something for every taste, and every budget.  I recommend booking sooner than later, especially around prime times like the BottleRock Festival (Napa), holidays, or the summer season.

Transportation
There’s absolutely ZERO reason to drink and drive.  Always have a designated driver or snag an Uber.  There are also plenty of small and large transportation services you can hire for the day, which is great if you have a group.

———————————————
FUN FACT
There are five traits in wine that affect the quality and taste:  Body, Sweetness, Tannin, Acidity and Alcohol.

———————————————

WINE TASTING ETIQUETTE

Wine tasting is a sensory experience, and is subjective to each individual.  There’s no need for pretentious lingo or sommelier-level knowledge to enjoy yourself.  There are six basic steps that will allow you to experience the sensory characteristics of wine.  Here they are:

1. Look at the wine
   What color do you see?  How deep is the color?  With red wine, do you see signs of browning (this indicates age)?  Are there bubbles or other clues that may give you an idea of how it might taste?
2. Swirl the wine
   Swirling the wine in your glass intensifies the smell, which is an incredibly important part of your wine tasting experience.  Swirling increases its surface area and boosts the rate of evaporation of its aroma compounds, which are trapped in the bowl of the wine glass.
3. Sniff the wine
   Dip your nose into the wine glass and take several deep sniffs.  What do you smell?  Take time to search for scents such as fruits, grass, earth, herbs, spices, vanilla, caramel, etc…  As your knowledge of wine increases, you’ll become more skilled at catching the subtle scents and understand the ‘story’ behind your wine (ie. caramel scents come from oak barrels).
4. Sip the wine
   Finally, you get to taste the wine!  Take a good sized sip, but don’t swallow right away.  Let the wine set in your mouth for a moment (3 – 5 seconds) and enjoy that first taste.  Don’t just focus on the initial taste, but also pay attention to the “mouthfeel” of the wine.  Does it feel buttery in your mouth?  Silky?  Heavy or light?
5. Swish the wine
   Before you swallow that first sip, swish the wine around in your mouth (like it’s mouthwash!).  This increases the surface of contact with the wine and warms it, enhancing the taste.  Our taste buds support six sensations:  sweetness, acidity, umami, saltiness, bitterness and fat.  With wine, pay attention to the sweetness and acidity.  Acidity is a sour sensation.  Words like ‘tart’, ‘crisp’ and ‘refreshing’ are used to describe acidity.
6. Savor and enjoy the wine!
   Wine’s flavor doesn’t disappear after you swallow, so take a moment to enjoy the after taste.  I usually like to repeat steps 1 – 6 with my second sip of wine, which is where I really can settle into it.

———————————————
FUN FACT
White wines darken with age, while red wines grow paler with age.

——————————————–

HOLDING THE WINE GLASS & OTHER ETIQUETTE TIPS

Hold your glass by the stem or base.
There’s a few reasons for this: 
1.  Your glass will remain clean and pristine (no fingerprints).
2. Your hands won’t heat the bowl of the glass, which could impact the taste.

Drink from the same position on your glass.
This helps reduce lip marks on the glass, and ensure you aren’t smelling the inside of your mouth as you drink.

Want to make a toast?
Always look your clinking partner in the eye, and make sure that you click glasses bowl to bowl to protect the glass from breakage.

When pouring, hold the bottle towards the base.

Offer wine to others before pouring yourself seconds.

TO CHILL OR NOT TO CHILL

If you are hosting a wine tasting, here are a few general rules of thumb when it comes to the wine’s temperature.  To begin with, I like to store all of my wines at 54 degrees, and then either transfer to the refrigerator prior to serving (whites), or open and allow to warm a bit (reds).  The ideal wine storage temperature is 55 – 59 degrees fahrenheit with 55 – 75% humidity.

When it comes to serving, sparking wines are best served at 35 – 45 degrees fahrenheit, whites at 40 – 50 degrees fahrenheit, and reds at 60 – 70 degrees fahrenheit.

Wine’s flavor is temperature-sensitive, and almost all wines are best served chilled (sparkling, whites, roses, dessert wines and fortified wines).  Red wines are generally not served chilled, although room temperature can be a bit TOO warm.  I like to take out my red wines, decant them and let them sit for 30-minutes to an hour before serving.

DECANT?

Decanting is when you transfer your wine (generally a red wine) into a clean, glass vessel before serving.

Decant your wine to:
1. Remove sediment in older red wines
2. Aerate and mellow younger red wines

PAIRING FOOD AND WINE

The goal of a good food and wine pairing is all about balance.  You don’t want food to overpower the wine, or visa versa.  The secret is to match wines and foods of similar weight.  For example, a light-bodied white wine pairs good with lighter foods, like salads or shellfish, while a richer, heavier red will compliment cheeses and red meats.

Many people will instinctively select a wine that pairs well.  When it doubt, lean more towards the lighter side as lighter, milder wines work well with lighter, milder foods as well as compliment more robust dishes, too.  Heavier wines are less flexible.

RELAX AND HAVE FUN

There’s no need to over think your wine tasting experience.  When you are new to wine tasting, I encourage people to let their server or sommelier know so that they can guide you through the experience. Remember, that’s what they are there for and they generally love to share their knowledge with others.  And, don’t be afraid to ask questions!

If you are heading out to tasting rooms or vineyards for your tasting, take a little time to educate yourself ahead of time by visiting their website and social channels to learn a little history, gain a sneak peak of their popular wines, and review the policies.

RESOURCES

There are quite a few books and resources available to educate yourself about the basics of wine.  Here’s a few of my favorite:

“Wine Folly”, Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack
Not only does this book cover the basics of wine tasting, making and serving, it also covers food and wine pairings, grape varietals, and wine regions around the world.  A great resource that I return to again and again.

“Passion for Wine:  The French Ideal and the American Dream”, Jean-Charles Boisset and Marnie Old
I discovered this book while visiting one of Jean-Charles Boisset’s properties in Napa Valley (https://buenavistawinery.com) and really like how easily consumable the content is.  Although a good part of the book is focused on the wines of the Boisset family, the basics of wine tasting, the history of wine, grape varietals, and wine and food pairings is delivered in a delightful read.