I haven’t tasted at a US winery in a very long time, so I’m not sure what’s appropriate there. In Europe visiting producers, and in Japan visiting either breweries or artists whose pottery we’re pursuing, we don’t usually bring gifts unless we know the person, but we always have a bottle of very special whisky in our bag. If we get talking and friendly and it seems appropriate, we’ll ask whether our host likes whisky and then propose sharing a glass. We’ve ended up with some wonderful evenings that started that way.
Way cool.
Maybe it was all the business visits to Japan that influenced me, I normally bring something simple but special that encapsulates the US. A huge hit the past 10 years has been NY Yankee Baseball Caps. Male or female winemakers alike know the Yankees even if they have never seen a baseball. Only where we have appointments. Not saying anyone else should gift anything, just something we do.
Kinda like a US Winemaker getting a Manchester United, Juventus or Barcelona Cap.
Tom
I requested several importers and distributors to please set appointments for us on our honeymoon in Burgundy and Champagne back in the 80’s. I selected a bottle of California wine for each of the wineries visited. The reactions were great, mostly the bottles were rapidly whisked away for tastings by the winemakers and owners. We were treated to other than the normal tasting wines! I brought a Kistler Chard to Bouchard, Schramsberg to Roederer and Pommery and a 1976 Dom and caviar to Becky Wasserman’s which were consumed during the visit.
There was another killer exception, a sweetie for the Von Simmern visit I set up myself during a tasting in SF. I took a 375 ml of the exceptional 1983 Pepperwood Springs Late Harvest Chardonnay. The winemaker was Larry Parsons who was blind, there was braille on the label. The CEO during that 523rd harvest was not a Von Simmern family member, it was an outsider, Helmut Kranisch, who immediately opened it, was blown away and sent an fellow down to the wine cellar. He returned with four half bottles including a 1969 BA which we opened and drank as well, prior to an invitation being extended to the Gruenhaus, a restaurant on the property next to the Rhine where we indulged seriously late into the night.
Bring wine! I have never brought a back vintage from a given winery, but rather another worthy producer’s bottle for their change of pace.
If I was a winemaker and someone gave me a Manchester United cap or kit, it would make things pretty awkward.
Yeah but Mike, you’re in Atlanta. They’d figure you had enough John Deere caps already!
Many years ago I had a friend and his mother hosted an exchange student from Paris. That guy and a few of his exchange buddies weren’t necessarily the cream of the crop in the academic system. When we took him to the airport, he and his buddies had all purchased baseball bats.
Classic Americana right? They couldn’t wait to use them in street fights.
I know Macdonald doesn’t do very many tasting appointments and only list members. However if you’ll bring some DRC I’m sure Alex will accommodate you
Your doing it right, if you enjoy doing it by all means do it. Never hurts to reach out ahead as you never know who will be around midweek or weekends.
I have customers bring us wine often. Typically I do not taste it with them then, time/space/not right stemware/etc, maybe well meet for a bite or wait till we close and I run home to get the right stems. Also the ABC only allows wine from that bond to be consumed on that bonded site. Not as big issue for small guys and most wineries have beer fridges anyway, but staff may be trained to not accept. Though in the above case your brining wine to the winery that made it, good on you sounds like fun. We may be an oddball as a tasting room as we usually have at least one library wine open thanks to the Pungo’s to show folks older wines.
ps. My wife worked at Jarvis as her first real full time wine industry job, what a spread they have up there.
I’ve never gifted wine while visiting an american winery. I guess I’ve never had a “special” visit oaths side of the pond. On the other hand I’ve had some very special visits
on various European trips and in those cases I gift American wines, wines that are nothing like what they make. Most wine folks in Europe have never had a great zin or rhone ranger. When we have an exceptional visit, usually with the owner/winemaker, we’ll gift a Carlisle or something similar. Always appreciated by the recipients.