Thinking about going on a winery tour? Here are 10 great tips from a winery owner.

1 – Have a nice meal before beginning your tour — Never taste on an empty stomach.

2- Designate a driver ! Everyone wants to get home safely. Bravo if you’ve hired a car service!

3- Fragrances can interfere with the flavor of wine and disrupt your neighbors as they taste. Perfume, cologne or body spray can interfere with your smelling senses. There are 1,000’s of smelling senses and only 5 of taste, you get the picture…

4- Mint and Chardonnay? Not a likely pairing. Loose the gum way before you taste!

5- Have a cracker or some bread to clear your palate before you taste and in between wines so that you can actually taste the difference.

6- If your group is large, call ahead for reservations. Don’t blow up the room when you arrive. If the winery cannot take your group, don’t be offended. Some wineries just need time and prep to accommodate a group so everyone has a good time.

7- A tasting room is not a bar… it’s for sampling. Many wineries offer seated tasting or a table at which you may enjoy a glass of wine, but first—taste the wines and decide what you would like to order by the glass, then move on to the designated area.

8- Once you begin your tasting, please stay at the bar until you finish. Then make way for others to taste. Don’t come and go with your glass. It is harder for your server to keep track of what you’ve tasted…and the order in which you taste makes a difference.

9- Your wine pourer is a wine salesperson…not a bartender. It’s their job to educate you…no tipping required…buy some wine! If you just want to drink, skip the tasting and order a bottle to enjoy on the deck or in the designated area.

10- Know your limit! If you would like to taste and are feeling tipsy, have some water…a lot of water. Ask your pourer about spitting…most wineries can offer you a discreet vessel for spitting. Wineries also have the number of a taxi service if you have had too much.

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