Wine Touring: New Experiences at B.C. Wineries & Tips on Tasting Room Etiquette
Pro Tips & Wine Bargains in B.C. #7
Pro Wine Tips For Wine Touring - Winery Innovations, Manners Matter in the Tasting Room
British Columbia winery tasting rooms are opening again now for the new season and looking forward to welcoming guests.. Once Winter finally lets go, many people will be going winery touring in British Columbia or elsewhere.
Some properties are now doing things a little differently regarding the tasting room experience so here is a head's up on some of those changes.
And to make the wine tasting experience a better one for yourself and those around you, I have pulled together a list of tips on what you can expect and what is likely to be expected of you when visiting winery tasting rooms. Some are Do's, some are Don'ts and a couple are Don't Evers.
Winery Experience Innovations & Pro Tips On Tasting Room Etiquette
Before You Arrive
Group Think
These days, for most every winery, large groups arriving unannounced to their tasting room is not really welcome. If your group is larger than six, you should do some research and contact the winery ahead of time to see if and when they can accommodate you as tasting rooms vary greatly in size.
Wineries want everyone to have a fun time but bigger groups can take over smaller tasting rooms and change the atmosphere. Your comfort and pleasure shouldn't be at the expense of that of others. If you arrive unannounced you may well find that you get turned away at the door and that will be disappointing for everyone.
Have A Designated Driver Or Arrange For Safe Transportation For Everyone In Your Group
Always.
Dress Comfortably/Appropriately
"no shirt, no shoes, no service" of course but you can also overdress. High heels for instance may not be that practical in a winery & vineyard situation. Wine cellars can be cooler and the weather can change, so bring a sweater or jacket just in case.
Don't Taste On An Empty Stomach And Stay Hydrated
Wine will have a greater immediate effect on you if you haven't eaten recently so make sure you don't arrive hungry. Wine also tends to dehydrate you and dehydration can decrease your energy so try to match up your wine intake with your water intake.
Children
Wineries usually do their to their best to be family friendly but it’s up to you to make sure that children don’t get in the way of someone else’s tasting experience. It's also not a bad idea to call ahead and find out the particularities of the winery property (e.g. outdoor areas to run around in, kid friendly distractions). Visiting a winery once with children on a hot Summer day in the Okanagan, the winery let my grandkids cool off by running through the lawn sprinkler to their great delight (and ours).
No Fragrances Please Ladies and Gentlemen
Wine can have very subtle aromas so strong scents from your deodorant, aftershave or eau de toilette can ruin the tasting experience for those near you in the tasting room. Again, be considerate of others.
Winery Experiences Are Now More Varied and Tasting Fees Are Increasingly Common
One of the trends that has emerged in wineries in B.C. and elsewhere, over the last few years, driven in part by accommodation to the realities of the pandemic is that wineries are offering a wider selection of tasting experiences and more wineries are charging tasting fees for all types of wine experiences. This is common in the U.S. and it has been expanding here, though overall the fees are still fairly modest by comparison, typically in the $5.00 - $12.00 range for wine bar style tastings, (vs. Napa $50 +) the last time I checked. The fees are almost always waved with any wine purchase.
Some people gripe at this trend but if you think about it, where else can you enjoy a hundred dollars or more worth of wine poured by knowledgeable people for a relatively small fee in a short period of time?
“Wine Concierge” & Other New Tasting Experiences
In addition to, or instead of, the usual "come one, come all" tasting bar with a kind of wine bartender, many wineries have created different formats for you to choose how you experience and taste their wines.
Lots of wineries now offer what I would call a "wine concierge" type of tasting where one of their staff will accompany you to a separate area outside or inside and go through the wines with you, providing information and insight on each one. Some introduce the wines and leave you to assess on your own and others stay with you. Depending on your situation, interest and style, this can be a great way to have a quieter, focused time with the wines and to enjoy yourselves.
Yes, the "concierge" is salesperson too but I have yet to feel any pressure to buy in the tastings I have experienced at B.C. wineries. This way you either like the wines our you don't and the rest is up to you. You may also find VIP versions of this that might include exclusive or library wines, a walk through the vineyards and/or food.
In another scenario, you may sit somewhere separately and staff will bring the tasting wine by wine to your group. There are other variations too. Some wine experiences have to be booked ahead. So, it's a good idea again to do some online research or call ahead to see what wine experience are offered, what they cost and if they have to be booked.
I have really welcomed these wine experience innovations at B.C. wineries and in wine country elsewhere. It gives you additional choices to the buzz of the wine tasting bar so you can match the wine experience you want to your situation and mood.
In The Tasting Room
Be Polite Whether You Know A Little Or A Lot
If you know a good deal about wine and are fortunate enough to be able to indulge your interest with a five thousand bottle cellar, that's great. Lucky you. But the tasting room is not a place to brag about it or be a long winded, wine know-it-all. Please don’t be that person. If you are really a fan of wine (rather than yourself), you will not contribute to wine's image of snobbery and compel winery staff to maintain forced grins in the face of your rudeness.
Naturally, if you enjoy wine and know a little more, the tasting room is great place to get into some deeper wine talk with tasting room staff. I certainly enjoy that. But be aware too that it isn't necessarily that much fun for the average tasting room employee for whom this might just be a Summer job. And even if they are quite knowledgeable and you are having a good wine chat, set a mental timer to cut it off at a certain point as the employee also has a duty to ensure that the winery’s products are widely showcased and everyone else in the tasting room is enjoying themselves too.
On the other hand, if you don't know a lot about wine, try to resist covering your inexperience with loud comedy "Well, they all taste like porch climber to me!". Funny once (perhaps) and nothing wrong with some anti-snobbery to provide some balance around wine but it gets tired quickly if you keep carrying on. Likewise, be moderate in your reactions, Exaggerated expressions and comments like shaking your head, sticking your tongue out or saying loudly that a wine is awful is not called for and is really pretty juvenile.
Different people simply like different wines and if you don't like the one you just tasted, there's no need to trumpet a judgment. Just dump it (perfectly acceptable) and keep looking for a wine you do like. A lot of thought and hard work went into that bottle whether it happens to be your style or not. Again, your tasting room experience shouldn't be at the expense of that of others.
Do Ask Questions
Winery tasting room staff are there to tell you about their wines and are very happy to share what they know. You came all this way, this is your chance to ask those wine questions you’ve wondered about and find our more.
Lean Towards Quality Over Quantity - Savour Your Sips And The Experience
Regardless of your level of experience or expertise a winery tasting room is an opportunity to deepen your wine knowledge. Take your time and get the most out of it. Wine always has something new to show you.
If you are relatively new to wine this is a chance to try new grapes or wine styles. And if you are more knowledgeable you might taste a new vintage, a new wine or a new wine making innovation from that winery.
Regardless of your wine knowledge try to put aside your assumptions and listen to winery staff when they are introducing you to a wine. Gulping your way through the flight in order to get to another winery defeats the whole purpose which is to take time to taste, enjoy and also learn a little.
Try to Get Over It - Learn to Use the Spit Bucket
It seems kind of gross at first I know but using the spit bucket has a lot of advantages when you are in a tasting room. Don’t be afraid to spit.
Here’s why. After about five to ten minutes, when you have had a few wine pours, two things usually begin to happen. One, your sense of well being and enjoyment increases greatly as alcohol does it thing in your bloodstream. And secondly, your ability to evaluate and discern the differences in different wines goes dramatically down - it's over. You will be feeling great and think that all of the wines that follow will also taste just great too.
Of course it depends on what wine tasting mode you are in, it's up to you. But if you are drinking all the wines in a flight you will lose discernment whether you are a knowledgeable wine person looking for terroir in that pinot noir or relatively new to wine and trying to decide if you really like merlot.
Spitting into wine bucket needn't really be that daunting. To begin, the key is to place your mouth clearly over the bucket and let that mouthful of wine go relatively slowly into it.
Lobbing liquid is more of an acquired skill and can have “splashback consequences” if the bucket is relatively full so start of easy and slow. Many wineries provide smaller personal sized buckets that make it pretty easy to do. If you are looking to learn a little about the differences in different wines you will find that this will help a lot. Just give it a try.
And while we are talking about spit buckets, it is perfectly OK to dump the rest of your wine into the bucket if you prefer, even if you happen to like it. You will not give offense to your server as wineries understand that people's tastes vary.
Be A Responsible Friend
If your friend has had a little too much, encourage them to have some water and throttle it back or stop all together. They will be much more receptive to you letting them know than a server who at some point is going to have to draw the line.
Don’t Pretend To Be In The Industry
Very uncool.
“Industry” means those who make a living within the wine trade. Pretending to be a professional with your fold-and-tear business card, just to get a discount or special treatment is rude in the extreme and is just not acceptable.
Should you buy a bottle?
It's completely up to you. I have yet to be at a winery that conveyed any pressure for me to buy or disappointment if I didn't buy. Personally, I find the tasting-fee-waved-with-purchase offer pretty tempting as it makes for a sizable discount on that bottle or two.
So “Be kind, be calm, be safe” and enjoy the tasting room season.
All photos by Brent Gushowaty
Wine Bargains - Let's Get Started
The wine bargains below are independently reviewed by me and are widely available from B.C. government stores. To find the store nearest you that carries the wine, just click the link in each wine listing.
For this newsletter edition the wines chosen are in these styles:
Ripe Fruit Forward Reds (4 wines) | Savoury Fruit Reds (2 wines) | Medium Bodied Smooth Whites (4 wine) | Bigger, Oak Influenced Whites (1 wine) | Aromatic Whites (2 wines)
For detailed descriptions of the styles see An Illustrated Guide To Wine Styles
FEATURED WINE
Here is just one of the great value for pleasure wines, available at the time of publication.
Richer, Oak Influenced Whites Style (fuller, buttery, with citrus, vanilla, tropical fruit, more…)
FORT BERENS CHARDONNAY - LILLOOET B.C., CANADA
$20.99 reduced to 19.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Quality wine from Lillooet? Yes!
The warm days and cool nights in this area of British Columbia make for wines that ripen fully but retain a great balancing structure of acidity. The style here is leaner, and for me, more balanced and elegant than similar wines at this price point from California or Burgundy. The oak touch is light and you will pick up peach/pear/apple notes on the aroma and flavour. Refreshing and well balanced. Widely available. Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 558171
Ripe Fruit Forward Reds Style (think ripe cherries)
MATCHBOOK RED GRAVEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON - DUNNIGAN HILLS USA
$19.99 - 750 ml.
This wine is from the Dunnigan Hills area that is North, East and one valley over from Napa. I think its being from a lesser known area helps keep the price down here. The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec and 2% Petite Syrah. Rounded with silky soft tannins and some savoury fruit too, so not a fruit bomb. Drinks a little like a syrah but with lighter berry notes, dusty fruit, and great clarity of flavours. Well balanced. The best value California cabernet wine I have seen in B.C. so far. #28 in the top 100 Best wine buys for Wine Enthusiast magazine - a reliable source. Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 187438
PEREZ CRUZ RESERVA - CABERNET SAUVIGNON, CHILE
On sale once again - $16.99 reduced to 14.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
95 Points at the Decanter World Wine Awards (which matter!). Good Cabernet Sauvignon flavour and intensity. Excellent value at the regular price, now on sale. Tasted ✓ 88 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 126235
QUID PRO QUO - CASA SANTOS LIMA ALENTEJANO, - PORTUGAL
$15.99 reduced to 12.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
If you like bigger but soft edged fruit forward reds with some complexity, this blend or Portuguese red grapes has the whole package including dried plums and fruit leather. The wine has good deep, red fruit intensity, rounded tannins, excellent balance and some real interest. The value for money and value for pleasure here is amazing at this sale price. Tasted ✓ 88 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 62235
GRANT BURGE BAROSSA INK SHIRAZ - BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA
On sale once again - $19.99 reduced to 16.99 On sale until July 2 - 750 ml
Pure, focused syrah fruit with a touch of pepper on the nose. Fairly simple with minimal tannins and tastes kind of like syrah crossed with a lighter gamay beaujolis. Enormously appealing, very soft, shorter but with a silky ending. A very pretty and easy drinking Syrah. Tasted ✓ 88 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 219168
Savoury Fruit Reds Style (plenty of fruit - but think cranberry, tomato sauce or fruit leather)
SANGRE DE TORO TORRES - CATALUNYA, SPAIN
On sale once again $16.99 reduced to $12.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Quite savoury, dry herbs, touch of smoke, simple,clean balanced flavours. This very consistent wine has been around for a long time and with good reason. Tasted ✓ 87 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 6585
PAUL MAS MALBEC PAYS D'OC, FRANCE
$15.99 reduced to 14.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
France is the original home of malbec and it is one of the allowable grape varieties in Bordeaux wines. Most people know the Argentinian versions which tend to be rounder, sometimes jammy and can be slightly tannic. As is often the case, this Old World (European) version has a leaner, more style savoury fruit and lower alcohol. It is from a single vineyard which tends toward (but doesn’t guarantee) a higher quality wine. Great value and very consistent. Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 644336
Medium Bodied, Smooth Whites Style (little/no oak, easy drinking, fresh or savoury fruit, various grapes)
FORT BERENS CHARDONNAY - LILLOOET B.C., CANADA
$20.99 reduced to 19.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Quality wine from Lillooet? Yes!
The warm days and cool nights in this area of British Columbia make for wines that ripen fully but retain a great balancing structure of acidity. The style here is leaner, and for me, more balanced and elegant than similar wines at this price point from California or Burgundy. The oak touch is light and you will pick up peach/pear/apple notes on the aroma and flavour. Refreshing and well balanced. Widely available. Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 558171
LOUIS BERNARD COTES DU RHONE BLANC, FRANCE
$15.99 reduced to 14.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
The grapes in this unoaked wine are a blend of less familiar Southern Rhone varieties such as viognier, roussanne, grenache blanc & clairette but whatever the names, the result is delicious, light to medium bodied, and well balanced with flavours of pear and melon notes, with a decently long finish. Good value at the regular price. A very reliable white blend from a top producer. Tasted ✓ 88 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 589432
KRIS PINOT GRIGIO DELLE VENEZIE, ITALY
$19.99 reduced to 15.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Pinot Grigio is the same grape as Pinot Gris. Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for the grape and the style is generally leaner and more savoury than the versions from the New World (North/South America, Australia/NZ/South Africa). Wines from the New World that display Pinot Grigio on the label usually indicates that the wine will lean toward the Old World style.
Most Italian Pinot Grigios available here costing $20.00 and under are good enough but taste rather similar to each other. This one has something a little different to say. Shy on the nose, with lean but good fruity flavours of lemon, cantaloupe, melon rind with some silkiness in the mouth feel. Clean, crisp and well balanced. A great discount this month. Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 151860
DI LENARDO MONOVITIGNA PINOT GRIGIO - FRIULI, ITALY
$19.99 reduced to 17.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Interesting aromas here of peaches, apricots, and honey, with lemon and fruit flowers. Some smoothness in the texture with lovely balance and echoing fruit. A very appealing wine that you keep wanting to come back to. Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 125658
Richer, Oak Influenced Whites Style (fuller, buttery, with citrus, vanilla, tropical fruit, more…)
BOSCHENDAL CHARDONNAY - WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA
$20.99 reduced to 18.99 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Compact, lean, elegant chardonnay with a touch of tropical fruit, some clean lemon citrus and subtle oak and some nice complexity. Very hard to dislike. Good price for chardonnay that is this well made. Tasted ✓ 88 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU: 594804
Aromatic Whites (usually dry but smell sweeter than they taste - honey, peaches, fragrant floral notes, more…)
SANDHILL - SOVEREIGN OPAL, OKANAGAN VALLEY, B.C. , CANADA
$17.99 - 750 ml.
Talk about rare and special. Sovereign Opal is a hybrid grape, A cross between a white grape called Golden Muscat and a red grape called Maréchal Foch. There is only one grower in the entire world: the Casorso family vineyard in Kelowna. The range of aromas and flavours in this grape is remarkable and include: grapefruit, lime, rose petals, orange blossom, lychee nuts and more. It is slightly off-dry and with a lower alcohol of 11% or so, makes a great easy drinking wine that would pair well with sushi or other Asian dishes. Explore B.C. wine! Tasted ✓ 89 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU 23841
TORRES VINA ESMERALDA - CATALUNYA, SPAIN
$17.49 reduced to 14.49 until July 2 - 750 ml.
Unusual and delightful, Vina Esmeralda is a blend of 85% Muscat of Alexandria and 15% Gewürztraminer. It is slightly off dry and very aromatic. It tastes drier than the aroma would lead you to expect. There notes of citrus peel and floral drifts on the nose. There is a great balancing acidity. It would pair well with Asian food or light fruit based sauces and is a great Summer wine. Well worth a try. Tasted ✓ 88 Points
Find Store Nearest You SKU 165316
Until next time.