Tipping your Host on a Paid Tasting

WINE TALK
21

IMHO tipping is a way to compensate servers who get paid a crappy wage or those who provide a direct service. I will tip at bars and restaurants, the cable person and the person who towed my car. It would not occur to me that after paying for tasting, I should tip anyone. If I enjoyed the experience, I buy some wine, if not, I don’t. Just came back from England where tipping in pubs is considered tacky. It was a point of conversation and those English folks who have traveled to the US say they were confused by the tipping model. That and right turns on red lights.

22

The tastings we do now usually involve just a small, private group and a host that has your undivided attention for an hour or two. In those situations we always slip them a $20 or more depending on the level of service and say ‘grab a beer or two on us tonight’. If they were a shitty host, we don’t, but I haven’t encountered many like that.

It always amazes me when people that spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on wine (and food and whisky) get so cheap when it comes to tipping.

23

It very much depends on the winery. If the owner is not hosting, feel free to tip. Most wineries in Napa and Sonoma only give a bonus on wine club sign-ups (not a sales commission per bottle) and your host is probably earning $15-20 per hour for the duration of your tasting (this is the standard hourly wage in Napa/Sonoma and is not dependent upon bottle price or cost of tasting).

We always tip similar to enjoying a meal in a fine dining establishment.

24

I’m pretty much of the same mind. Depending on how I’m feeling at the moment I’ll mostly grab a few bills and say thanks. Sometimes not. I don’t sweat it and I don’t really ever angst over it. In the moment I basically try to think “don’t be a dick” and the rest takes care of itself, but what I am not going to do is run a million permutations through my mind to try and figure out the “right” amount or deeply contemplate whether I should or should not tip.

25

The workers in Socialist countries get sufficient pay as to not need a tip. [snort.gif]

26

Do you live in a socialist country? Do you need a tip every time you do your job? [snort.gif]

27

The state doesn’t own the means of production in the US. Some distribution systems are state owned (PA & NH).

28

Owner/winemaker-no tip. It’s bad form. If I gave Thomas Rivers-Brown a C-note at the door, he’d run me over with an exotic car and I’d be full of Rutherford dust…
Employee does an awesome job, tip. I am sure always appreciated.

29

I don’t tip but I do send an email to the winery when I have an exceptional experience (or a poor one.) I have given a few bottles to tasting room staff over the years.

30

wait, people actually pay for tastings?
/s

31

I’m still wondering about Robert Creth tipping the cable guy … and thinking the Brits know anything about good service.

32

I tip for services that are rendered with passion, precision and consideration regardless of any other costs. Its about reward for those who serve righteously. Why not encourage more of the same for others?

33

Why not expect people to provide a modicum of customer service as part of their job?

34

[rofl.gif]

35

Visited Napa last fall and considering the size of the fees being charged, I would not consider tipping.

36

I have no idea of tastings in Napa - only in Europe - and I usually (almost) never pay for tastings, so also no tip.

But what I do almost all the time is bringing an interesting bottle with me, usually from Styria/Austria … or an Austrian GV or Riesling etc.
Always appreciated - and more often than not I get something (in bottle) back - in addition to what I usually purchase.

37

Define HOST.

If you are hiring somebody to drive you around to the tastings and they have arranged the tastings, you tip.
If you are hiring somebody to drive you around to the tastings and you arranged the tastings, you tip.
If your host is a friend, buy him lunch, dinner and offer him $100. He will refuse it.
If your host is the winery, no tip. Buy wine.

38

I hope you all tip your doctors, lawyers, accountants, kids’ teachers, optometrists, investment brokers, etc etc etc, too. I’m with Chris — to a certain extent, good customer service should be expected, and when it is provided it’s reasonable to simply call it a Good Business Decision, as good customer service encourages repeat patronage.

My previous post re: tipping for service above and beyond that which you paid for still stands, however.

39

I once got a tip. A huge one. But just once. I must suck as a professional.

So my wife brought this subject up. Evidently she and all her girlfriends go to this one place that does Botox, lips, laser and all that stuff. Yea new to me as well, but she handles all the bills so I know nothing. Evidently they are all up in arms as the place added a tip line on the Visa printouts. Made them all quite uncomfortable. One lady told the owner, and voila, she immediately took it off. Don’t offend those “rich” (joking) tennis ladies!

40

So this was my deal. I get pinched into a tasting at Hall for various reasons that don’t matter here. Tasting is $125 a pop for my wife and me. I buy a six pack of fairly expensive stuff while we’re at the 90 minute tasting which was okay because the group we were paired with was young and fairly fun. Otherwise, it’s a basic tasting, just their higher end (but not highest end) stuff. Some nuts, some cheese, 5 or 6 wines from various plots and vintages. Guy hosting talks about the wines, but not a ton to it. Tasting fees not comped on the 6-pack purchase. 8 seats at the table or so. It’s like $1000 to the house for the tasting. I did not tip above the $250 we paid in tasting fees. Some of the other folks did and I was very surprised and kind of felt like a bastard. But at the same time, did not feel like a tip was necessary, expected, or appropriate in the situation.