If you're just starting on your journey into the world of wines, going on a wine tour is a great crash course to help you broaden your palate and learn about viticulture. You'll go straight to the source and speak to experts who are dedicated to creating wine. Your first wine tour can be intimidating, especially if you don't know much about wine. To help you have a good experience, here's what to do when you go on your first wine tour.
Dress Appropriately for Your Tour's Itinerary
Research the winery you are touring to discover what the day's itinerary contains, and then dress appropriately. If you're only attending a wine tasting, dress as if you were going to an upscale restaurant. While formal clothes are not necessary, T-shirts and shorts are not appropriate attire at a wine tasting. However, if you will be touring the vineyards or entering a cellar or cavern where the wines are aged, make sure that you dress in light clothing and wear comfortable shoes. The floor where the wine is aged is often very damp and slippery, and you'll be walking on dirt paths in the vineyard, so comfortable shoes are a must.
Monitor Your Wine Consumption and Use the Spittoon if Necessary
While the pours you'll receive at wine tasting are much smaller than a full glass of wine, the amount of wine you'll be drinking in a single day adds up quickly – this is especially true if you're visiting multiple wineries that day. Wine tasting is a dignified affair. Becoming too inebriated is not only rude, but it dulls your senses and doesn't let you experience the full taste of the wines you are sampling. You also become a danger to yourself and others by driving while intoxicated. Altogether, it's important to monitor your consumption to ensure that you remain sober through your wine tour.
Wineries helpfully provide spittoons for guests, allowing you to spit out the wine after tasting it instead of swallowing it. This isn't considered rude, nor is it considered to be a negative judgment against the wine that you are tasting. Servers and expert wine tasters know that remaining sober during the tasting process is vital to having a good experience. If you feel yourself becoming intoxicated, start spitting out the wines you are tasting instead of swallowing them.
Ask Questions and Purchase Wines That You Enjoy
Going on a wine tour is a chance for you to broaden your wine knowledge, as the tour guides and the wine tasting servers are professionals that can answer almost any question about their wines. During the wine tastings, converse with the servers and ask questions about how the grapes were grown and how the taste of the wine reflects the terroir of the local landscape.
Wineries sell bottles of their wine, and you should purchase any that you particularly enjoy. However, you should first ask if they ship their wine. If they do, make your purchase later instead of buying it at the winery. A hot car is no place for a wine bottle – the high temperatures cause the aging process to become far too rapid, which can ruin the taste of your wine. If you do purchase wine from a winery, store it in a wine case and keep it out of direct sunlight.
Going on a wine tour is a great chance to broaden your horizons and is a very enjoyable experience for those who are new to wine. If you need more structure in your tour, contact a company that arranges small group wine tours. You'll get the chance to mingle with other wine lovers and discuss your favorite wines, further expanding your knowledge.
For more information, contact a company like Ambassador Limousine.
