Wine Country Etiquette

Hi all, [cheers.gif]

My wife and I will be in the Willamette valley at the end of the month. We have multiple wine tastings and vineyard tours booked. This will be our first trip to wine country.

Question for everyone: Is there an obligation to purchase a certain number of bottles when you do a private tasting? All of our reservations will be 1-on-1 with either the winemaker or vineyard manager. We are paying a tasting fee, but don’t want to upset people if we decide to only purchase a bottle or two after the tasting. What is the general opinion of the group?

Also, how much is an appropriate amount to tip for a nice tasting? Is this a “standard” restaurant style 20%? Or are we looking at a different amount?

Sorry for all the questions. I’m VERY excited about our trip and want to make sure we do things the proper way.

Thanks! newhere

Enjoy. Sounds like a lovely trip.

Assuming you actually like the wine you are tasting, if it’s a private tour and they spend some good time with you, I don’t think 6-12 bottles is unreasonable. I’m not sure tipping the winemaker is really a thing.

Back in the day it was customary to purchase a mixed case of DRC after the tasting, whether you wanted to or not. See how well it worked out for those people. [cheers.gif]

Instead of tipping the winemaker why not just buy another bottle? :slight_smile:

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No formal rules…. However, if it’s a private tasting and there is no fee, I would buy at least 6 bottles. If there is a tasting fee, I don’t feel obligated to buy but would generally tip $20 or so.

I appreciate everyone’s reply! All of our tastings are paid, so I will buy a handful of bottles we like at each place. My wife actually had the same thought with regards to tipping. I love supporting small business, and I believe most of these are. Thanks!

There are great places to dine there so find those. Loads of threads here to help you make decisions.

If I’m paying to taste I don’t feel obligated to buy or leave a gratuity. I’ll often choose this route if I’ve no real informed opinion about the wines before arrival. I’ve definitely left CA wineries without buying wine after being invited to taste; and I’ve left with cases purchased too.

Opinion: you are never obligated to buy wine.

Advice from having done this for many, many years:
If you like the wine, buy a bottle or three.

Remember that 99% of the time wine tastes better in a tasting setting than it will at home, so don’t go overboard.

If you are paying for the tasting, you are particularly under no obligation to buy, you’ve paid for the service.

If you really love the wine, and the people behind it, and think you might want to establish a longer term purchasing relationship, they’ll understand if you want to take home the info and sign up later.

If you buy a bunch of wine from every place you taste, you’re going to have a bunch of wine you probably won’t enjoy that much. Be selective, don’t be peer pressured into buying stuff you don’t really love, don’t be shy about saying thank you, paying your tasting fee, and walking out.

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Most places that have a tasting fee will wave it if you buy at least a bottle or two. It is pretty rare we find absolutely nothing at a winery we would have no interest in buying, to waive the fee. So we have quite a few single bottles of something we bought at a tasting. As mentioned above, it is rarely as good later as you remember at a tasting, so if it doesn’t blow you socks off or have amazing QPR be selective and don’t feel you have to buy anything.

If you do find something you really like, think about purchasing more than just a couple. I can’t count how many times we have done that, then 6 months or a year (or two) later you open it and then wish you had more.

Working in a tasting room, I can tell you wine tastes better in the tasting environment because the bottle has been open for usually a few hours. The members on here might, but most people don’t take the time to decant at home.