RANDOMOCITY

As we have not been out exploring new tasting rooms lately, I thought I'd share a few random, thoughts, ideas, tips and stories with you.

TASTING ROOM ETIQUETTE

A few thoughts about tasting room etiquette... There are certain things that you should and should not do in order to ensure a pleasant tasting experience for both you and the other guests in the tasting room. Number one on my personal list is - do not wear heavy perfume or cologne to the tasting room. The scents can overpower the delicate, subtle aroma of the wine. Remember the olfactory process affects not only smell, but also taste. A heavy, cloying scent can spread through a room and linger for quite some time afterward. I have had people come in for a tasting after someone wearing a heavy perfume had left and commented that they could not smell or taste the wines properly due to the heavy, lingering aroma. If you do wear perfume, consider tasting outside if the weather is nice.  

These heavy smells also are the reason you will not usually find hot coffee in a tasting room, the scent can overpower the wines. So, if you have a cup of your favorite joe, leave it in the car.

Another personal qualm of mine is gum chewing. I had a lady came in for a tasting, she said that she had heard everyone raving about our wines and she was eager to taste them. I took her through a whole flight and she did not like one single wine. I even brought out a few highly-rated, well-received wine to entice her.  When she finished, she was quite disappointed (and said so, she could not understand why everyone loved our wine). I told her I was sorry that we were unable to find any wines she liked and explained that sometimes it happens. I told her the tasting fee and as she paid, she asked for a napkin. To my surprise, she then proceeded to spit out a piece of spearmint gum. I inquired if she had had that in her mouth the whole time. "Why yes", she replied. At that point, I told her the tasting fee was on me and handed her my business card and an invite for her (and a friend) to come back for a free tasting, provided she did not chew any gum prior to arriving. She  incredulously asked if the gum would make a difference? I responded in the affirmative and again encouraged her to come back another day and give us a try. I was not present when she came back, but I know she did because I saw the card that I had given her.

The tasting room affords customers to experience the "Joy of Discovery" of both the wine and the winery.  The staff works hard to present both in a fashion appropriate to the needs of the customer, which brings me to my next point. The tasting room is just that, it is not a bar and loud, obnoxious or raucous behavior can lessen the experience for everyone. Save the loud banter, demanding presence and/or high-maintenance behavior for somewhere else. Tasting is supposed to be held in a casual, relaxing environment. I have had customers enter the tasting room and immediately leave due to a loud, high energy atmosphere that is not conducive to the tasting experience.  Have fun, just be respectful of others enjoying the experience.

TASTING ROOM TIPS

Okay, lest I sound like a shrill, demanding, schoolmarm, I would like to share a few tips with you. If you are tasting and see an Oregon Pinot noir glass (the really big one!) believe it when the server tells you it will hold a whole bottle (it will!) It always seems that within a big group, someone will pick up the Pinot glass and inquire about it. I share the story and tell people that it will even hold a whole bottle (although it shouldn't actually do so). Inevitably, one of the (almost always) guys will question if it really does. I would bet them that it did, "If it does, you buy the glass, if it doesn't, I will cover your group's tasting fees". More often that note, they'd take me up on it. I would pull an empty bottle, rinse it out and fill it with water to the fill line. Then, I would pour it right there in front of them, proving that it did, indeed, fit in the glass. I sold more of those glasses this way. :-)

Please remember that you are sampling alcohol, so do not taste on an empty stomach. I have had people who regularly taste become victim to this. I had one regular customer who came in for a tasting and then had a glass. In the middle of the glass, she commented that she had not eaten since breakfast and asked for a fruit and cheese plate. Before we could finish preparing the plate, she got woozy and all of a sudden, just pitched off her stool and onto the floor. We had no warning other that her stating she was hungry, she was not visibly intoxicated in the least. This is a scary occurrence - and not so much fun for the customer either. Please have a bit to eat!

A typical tasting pour is around one ounce (it can vary from place to place and server to server), you are not required to drink it all, feel free to either spit or pour it out, it will not offend anyone. That is what the spit buckets are there for. This is especially important if you are visiting multiple tastings throughout the day. Be safe!

Not the proper use of a spit bucket

I have people frequently ask me about wine and food pairing. I am not a "foodie" but know some simple rules. I have recently found this chart on the Brofeifei Blog...

Well, there it is, my rant blog for the time being. Until we meet again, I wish you well and hope you enjoy your wines. CHEERS!!!

Wine is older than history. Humans didn't invent wine. We discovered it.

                                 -PHILIP SELDON, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine