For full bodied white and light fruity red wines the recommended serving temperature is a little warmer. Here you want to target 50°-60°F. This will help preserve the fresh and fruitiness of the red, and with the white it will allow you to pick up more of the aromas. With these wines you would want to chill the wine in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, or if it is at fridge temperature then pull it out an hour before you plan to serve it.
For red wines and ports the recommended serving temperature is between 60°-65°F. This will make the tannins in the wines seem less astringent, and also reduce the perception of bitterness. These wines should be put in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving them. Most people, and restaurants serve red wines at room temperature which depending on where you are is in the range of 72°-75°F degrees.
Can you put ice cubes in your wine? Of course you can, it is your wine, and you should have it the way you like it. I do not recommend ice cubes only because they will melt and dilute the wine. Maybe look into some of those whiskey stones that you put in the freezer and then use to keep your drink cold without melting.
Those sounded a lot like rules, but they are guidelines. In truth you should serve the wine at the temperature that you like it best. If you like your sparkling wine right out of the fridge then have it that way. I like it too. If you are used to room temperature reds then go ahead. At warmer temperatures you do smell and taste more of the aromas in wines. If you like chilled reds, you do you. The best temperature to serve a wine is the temperature at which you enjoy that wine the most.
Wine tasting is fun. It should be a great experience. You should be confident in what you are doing. So… let’s talk about tasting wine.
Tasting wine is about way more than putting the wine in your mouth.
To begin, look at the color. Consider how the color compares with other wines of this varietal that you have had. If it is a red wine, is it so dark that you cannot see through it when you hold the glass up to a light, or is it fairly easy to see through? Is it more purple, or brown?
Note: Wine tasters often perceive darker and more opaque wines as being of higher quality. This is not necessarily the case, but it is a common perception. Wineries are aware of this perception and will sometimes use a trick to “improve” the color of a wine. The trick is blending in a small amount of a highly pigmented wine. It is often not enough to make much of a difference in how a wine tastes, or smells, but it is enough to alter the appearance.
Lighter wines generally have less tannin. This means that they are less astringent. Astringency is that drying character that you get on your tongue and cheeks when sipping a wine.
So the appearance of a wine gives you an indication of the potential level of astringency., and body. A highly pigmented wine is probably more astringent, and more full bodied, but not always. There are ways a winemaker can adjust the level of astringency, and mouthfeel without having much of an impact on the color. So color is something to consider, but it is not a guarantee.
If the wine is more purple in color then it is a younger wine. If it is more ruby in color then it probably has some age. If you detect a brownish tint then the wine is probably pretty old, and might be oxidized. Oxidized wine has a sherry character and is considered a fault in wines other than sherries.
Now take your first smell of the wine. I like to do this before I swirl the glass. Think about what you smell. Now go ahead and give it a swirl and smell it again. Do you smell fruit? what kind of fruit? Is it cooked fruit, or fresh fruit? If it is fresh fruit is it dark fruit, or red fruit? If it is dark is it boysenberry, or blackberry, or currant, or some combination of all of them? Do you smell wood? Is it a raw wood smell, or a toasted smell? Do you smell vanilla, caramel, clove, or chocolate? These are all aromas that are usually derived from an oak influence.
Now taste the wine. What is the first thing that stands out? Do you taste the same fruit that you smelled? Is the wine astringent? What is the mouthfeel like? Is the wine balanced between the tartness and the sweetness? That is not to say that a wine is sweet, but the fruit character, and oak can contribute a perception of sweetness that can help balance out the sour and bitterness that red wines can have.
Once you swallow the wine what happens? Did you taste flavors throughout the sip? Did it feel like you tasted it when you first put it in your mouth, maybe there wasn’t much in the middle, but you tasted it again when you swallowed it? What is the finish like? The finish is what you taste, and the sensations you have in your mouth after you swallow the wine. It is the after effect. Does it linger? Can you taste the wine for a while? Or does it go away with the wine? Is there a burning sensation in your throat? That is generally an alcohol burn. It is the sensation that happens when you swallow a higher alcohol wine, or when you drink spirits. Is there a bitterness in the finish? This is similar to the taste that an aspirin leaves in your mouth if you don’t drink enough water with it.
I like to take a few sips and really consider all of this with each wine I am tasting. You may want to start keeping notes about the wines you taste. By taking time to think about what you smell and try to identify the aromas will help you build your wine vocabulary.
When you visit a winery there are a few things to keep in mind.
Wine Tasting is an opportunity to get to taste several wines from a winery. The tasting is comprised of +/- 4 wines. Depending on the specialty of the winery it could be all white wines, red wines, sparkling wines, dessert wines, or some combination of them. Often there will be several curated tasting options, or flights. These are a little more tailored. Sometimes the tasting flights are divided by price point. So there is a lower priced tasting menu for the lower priced wines and the more expensive wines are on a costlier menu. Depending on the winery policy sometimes these tasting menus are set in stone. If that is the case then just understand that the person behind the counter is just doing their job. Other facilities give the tasting room staff more leeway in offering additional tastings, or making substitutions. It can’t hurt to ask for something, but do not be bothered if the person cannot accommodate you.
When tasting wines at a winery keep an open mind. You will be poured several wines and I recommend that you taste all of them. You did pay for them after all. Another reason to taste them is that you might be surprised by a wine. Not all Chardonnay’s are made the same so give this one a try because it might be the one that shows you a different side of the varietal. The worst thing that can happen is that you take a sip, don’t love it, and pour the rest out. There should be dump buckets available to discard unwanted wine.
There are usually tasting fees when you go to a winery. The wines do have a cost to produce and giving the wine away has proven not to be a great business model. Plan for there to be tasting fees and be pleasantly surprised if the tasting happens to be complimentary. Tasting fees can be anywhere from $5 up to $100, or more, depending on where you are tasting. To avoid surprises you might want to see if the website indicates the tasting fees. Sometimes tasting fees are waived with the purchase of a bottle, or two, or join the wine club. That is not always the case so do not count on it. Somewhere on the tasting menu this policy is usually spelled out.
The people in the tasting rooms are usually sales people. They know a good amount about wine, but they do not know everything. Their job is to show you a good time, sell you wine, and try to get you to join the wine club. They will make a judgement call about your ability to buy large amounts of wine based on your behavior, what you are wearing, and your reaction to the tasting fee. If they believe that you will buy more wine then they will probably give you better service. Their mindset is that if you are taken aback by a $50 tasting fee then you probably are not interested in spending $175 on a bottle of the wine, or 12.
The tasting room is generally the most expensive place to buy wine. They are the suggested retail value of the wine. Legally a winery cannot tell a retailer how much to sell their wine for, but they can indicate what their tasting room sells the wine for to give a price guideline. With this in mind, you might not want to purchase a lot of wine from a tasting room if it is something that you know you can find in a wine shop at home. The caveat here is that some wineries do produce wines that they do not distribute. These are the wines, that if you love them, that you should buy a bottle or two to take home because they are not sold outside of the winery. Other wines that you might want to buy while you are at the winery are older vintages. Wineries often keep older vintages on hand so they can offer vertical tastings. (A vertical is a side-by-side comparison of different vintages of the same wine).
Go in to it with an open mind. Be prepared to pay a tasting fee. Know that people are probably judging you based on your appearance. Leave the wines that are widely distributed at the winery, but take home a special bottle, or two. Wine tasting is an opportunity to try a lot of different wines so take advantage of it.
Wine country is beautiful. All around the world the wine regions are stunning. So the hard part is deciding where to go. Once you have done that you can consider how to schedule yourself. The best time of year to go depends on what you consider the best.
Is the best time of the year to go when there are fewer tourists? If that is the case then go in the winter months. The wineries will still be open for business – you may want to double check if you have favorite spots you want to visit in the event that they may be remodeling. The slow season is the time of year that refurbishing happens. In the winter the grape vines are dormant so expect to see the vine wood and no leaves.
Dormant grape vines with mustard flowers
If you still want it sort of quiet, but would like a little hustle and bustle then visit in the Spring. The photo above was taking at the end of winter/beginning of spring. The weather is starting to warm up, the flowers are starting to bloom., but the vines are still dormant. It is not as slow as the winter, but the crowds are generally fairly thin.
If the best time of year to go is when the wineries are busy then go during the summer and fall. The vines will be green, and have grapes, or the grapes will be harvested, but there will still be leaves. If you take a tour in the fall you will likely see the winemaking process in action. At other times of the year they may talk about what is happening, but in the fall you can actually see, and smell it first hand.
Fall in the vineyard
Once you know the time of year then plan on how long you would like to be there. Wine tasting can be expensive so think about that when planning a trip.
Most commonly people plan to spend 3 days and 2 nights in the wine country. With that in mind you generally have 2 half days and one full day to taste. Wineries are generally open between about 10am and 5pm. There are exceptions that open a little earlier, or stay open later, but they are not that common. Some have even shorter hours 11am-4pm. If there are wineries that you desperately want to visit then verify their tasting room hours. The worst thing is when you show up right after the tasting room closed to the one place you had your heart set on going. Over the years I saw many people go through the heartbreak of missing out on a favorite winery.
When planning your day have a designated driver. DUIs happen in wine country just like everywhere else. You do not want to ruin a perfectly good vacation by ruining your life, or endangering the lives of others. It is not worth it.
Plan on visiting 3, or 4 wineries in one day. 4 at the most. After that you really cannot taste the wine very well, and you will be pretty intoxicated. This is the time when many people sign up for wine clubs because it seems like a good idea at the time. Wine clubs are great and I am a member of a few, but I knew I wanted to join before I had any wine.
Tastings take about an hour unless you are rushing through. If you go during the quiet season you can really take time and talk to the tasting room host. You can get a lot of great information about the wine, and the winery’s history. They usually work there because they love wine and working with people.
Some wineries are by appointment only. Again, do your research about the places that you really want to visit. If they are by appointment then they might have to turn you away. Different wine regions regulate how many visitors a winery can have in a day so these appointments may be very strictly enforced. Don’t miss out on a favorite winery just because you didn’t look at the visit us tab on their website.
If you are doing tour then plan on setting aside 2 hours of your time for that. Generally it is best to get a tour appointment ahead of time. So check the website, or call ahead.
Make sure to plan travel time between wineries. In Napa, for instance, there can be a lot of traffic and it can take a lot longer than you expect to get from one end of the valley to the other – even if it is only 35 miles long.
Plan a lunch stop in the middle of the tastings. You could bring an ice chest with water, sandwiches, and snacks, or you could find a restaurant and get something there. Set aside at least an hour to eat. Food and water can help stop tasters from over indulging.
If you are staying in a wine region during a popular time of the year then look into dinner reservations ahead of time. I have made the mistake of not making a reservation and ended up with a 2 and a half hour wait. The food was amazing, but it was an awfully long wait.
Many wine areas in the US do not really have much in the way of nightlife. There might be a few bars, but generally there are not many, they aren’t large, and they do not get super busy. So if you are looking for nightlife then you may want to stay in a city near the wine area instead of in wine country itself. This is another case for a designated driver.
So plan ahead is the key. determine what time of the year you want to visit. Figure out how long you want to be there. Set tasting, and/or tour appointments for wineries you really want to visit. Have a designated driver. Make reservations for dinners. Having a great trip in the wine country is always best when you can do a little planning ahead so you get to do and see everything that you want.
Wine and cheese go hand and hand. They are both fermentation products. They just have very different outcomes.
There are some rules of thumb when pairing wine and cheese, but all rules are made to be broken. So, just like when I said that the best wine is the one you like, the best cheese to pair with your wine is the cheese you like.
Now on the the rules guidelines.
Sparkling wines pair well with most cheese. The acidity and bubbles helps to cut through the fat. Creamy cheeses are particularly nice, but do limit yourself.
Pair wines with cheeses that have similar intensity. A strong, or high alcohol (15% and above) wine pairs well with a strongly flavored cheese and alternatively a delicate, or low alcohol wine (12% and below) pairs well with a more delicately flavored cheese.
Bold red wines pair very well with aged cheeses. Cabernet Sauvignon pairs incredibly well with an Aged Gouda. A cheese aged at least a year is best to pair with these concentrated red wines. The fat in the cheese will help to soften the perception of the astringent tannins.
Pair stinky cheese with dessert wines. A blue cheese is amazing with Port.
Wines and cheeses from the same region tend to pair well. Think Garnacha and Manchego.
Very creamy cheeses pair well with wines that are described as creamy. The one wine that comes to my mind is Chardonnay. If you are looking for a wine to pair with a Brie then look no further than a creamy/buttery Chardonnay.
These guidelines are just that. There is no reason not to experiment with your wine and cheese pairing. Keep in mind that every cheese will have an impact on how a wine tastes. I like to taste the wine before I have a bite of the cheese so I can see the difference.
You do you and enjoy your wine with any cheese you like.
Decanting a wine is the process of pouring it out of the bottle and into a decanter before pouring it into a wine glass. Often the wine is left in the decanter for an hour, or so before serving. This process helps to speed up aging of a wine and is generally only done with young red wines.
A decanter generally has a long neck and then a large area to hold the wine. They should be able to hold a 750mL (750mL bottle is the most common size sold commercially) bottle of wine. The wine is poured down the neck and this process exposes the wine to a large amount of oxygen very quickly. With a decanter, like the one pictured above, the wine sits with a large surface area exposed to oxygen.
All of this exposure to oxygen is what helps to speed up the aging process of the wine. It helps soften the tannins. Tannins are the molecules that give the wine astringency. Astringency is what causes the drying sensation on your tongue and gums. Your mouth feels a little like sandpaper when you take a sip of a very astringent wine. If you rub your tongue on the roof of your mouth and it is no longer smooth (ignore the normal bumps in the roof of your mouth and just consider the ability to slide you tongue back and forth on the roof of your mouth) then you have an astringent wine. Some people love astringent wine so.. there is no need to decant a wine if you like it that way. If your preference is something a little smoother, a little softer then consider getting a decanter. A decanter does not need to be expensive. The last one I bought was almost 20 years ago and it cost me about $20. Prices have probably gone up, but it isn’t necessary to spend tons of money if you don’t want to.
The interaction with oxygen can help “open up” a young wine. Sometimes a young wine does not have a lot of aroma. That is when a wine is described as closed. When you expose a closed wine to oxygen via decanting you can often bring out more aromas.
So, if you have a young red wine that is astringent and not very aromatic, then if will likely benefit from decanting.
If you are serving an older vintage of wine then I do not recommend decanting it. Older wines have been exposed to small amounts of oxygen through their corks over time. The process of softening tannins, and opening a wine up are done in the bottle over time for you. Some people will decant an older wine because there is likely sediment. Sediment naturally occurs over the life of a wine and although it is a nuisance it is not harmful. If you decant a wine that has been aged in bottle for many years then you will likely expose it to too much oxygen and end up serving a wine that is “over the hill”. This is a description of a wine that has been exposed to too much oxygen. A tell tale sign of a wine that is over the hill is a brown hue. If the wine does not look red, or purple, but instead looks orange, or brown then the wine will probably taste oxidized.
An oxidized wine tends not to have lost the fruity character that we enjoy in a wine. It can taste more like vinegar that wine. It may also have a sherry character, which is considered a fault in all wines except sherries.
Decant young wines and leave the older vintages alone is my advice to you.
There are a wide variety of wine glasses available today. They generally fall in to the categories of red, white, sparkling, and dessert wine glasses. For the purpose of this article I am only going to discuss stemware which is the most common type of wine glass and it has a bowl, stem, and base.
There is a reason that wine glasses come with a stem and it is more than just to make it top heavy and unstable – although those can be side effects too. The stem is there for us to use to hold the glass. If you hold the wine glass by the stem you keep your warm hands away from the wine. Wines are served at particular temperatures and holding a glass by the bowl will warm up the wine.
White wine glasses come in two types.
The first is a glass with a more narrow bowl. It is intended for chilled white wines. The compact size of the bowl helps maintain the temperature of a wine. Typically this is used to serve Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio and other wines that benefit from staying chilled.
White Wine Glass intended to maintain the cool temperature of a wine
The second version of a white wine glass has a large bowl which isn’t great at maintaining the wine temperature, but is excellent at enhancing the aroma of the wines. Typically this is used for Chardonnay, and aromatic wines.
White Wine Glass intended to enhance aromas
Red wine glasses tend to be large glasses, but the intention is not to serve more wine in them. The serving size should still be 5-6 ounces. The Larger format has more to do with aroma and flavor enhancement. The space in the bowl above the wine is where aromas collect. Smelling is a key part of tasting wine. The other aspect of red wines in larger glasses is the softening of tannins. Wines are exposed to oxygen in the glass and over time the oxygen helps to soften harsh, and astringent tannins. Red wines served in larger glasses can also be perceived as less bitter. I am not sure if this is also due to interaction with oxygen, or not.
There are 2 main versions of a red wine glass.
The first category of red wine glasses is the Burgundy style glass. Burgundy is a region in France. The primary red grape grown, and wine made is Pinot Noir. Burgundy glasses are generally intended for Pinot Noir, or other wines that can have a floral character like Gamay. The round bowl helps collect the delicate aromas of lighter bodied red wines.
Burgundy style wine glass
The second category of red wine glass is the Bordeaux glass. Bordeaux is also a region in France. Here they grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Wine glasses in this shape are made for these varieties as well as other bold, full bodied reds. These glasses have a taller bowl. The wine aromas are still collected in the space above the wine in the bowl. The glass also helps reduce the sensation of alcohol burn to the nose by keeping the wine further from the nose when smelling the wine.
Sparkling wine has 3 types of glasses, but… I only subscribe to two of them.
The most common is the flute. The flute is the tall slender glass. The shape is intended to preserve the bubbles, and the help maintain the cool temperature that sparkling wine is served at. This is a great shape of glass and one I recommend.
Sparkling Wine Flute
A tulip shaped glass is the next version that I would recommend. This is a modified version of a flute. The bowl gets a little wider toward the top of the glass. This allows aromas to collect in the bowl and gives you a better ability to smell the sparkling wine. It still has the tall slender shape of a traditional flute so it helps keep the wine cool and preserves the bubbles.
Tulip shaped flute
The third version of a sparkling wine glass is the Coupe. It is a very shallow bowl with a wide opening. The large surface of the wine allows the quickest loss of bubbles – so the sparkling wine will go flat faster, and it does not help to keep the wine cool also due to the large surface area of the wine. This is the type of sparkling wine glass that I would caution you against.
Dessert glasses. Here we have many different shapes of glass. The one thing that they have in common is that they are small. Dessert wine portions tend to be very small. Not more than a couple of ounces. This is because they are very sweet, and often have higher alcohol content than other wines. In a pinch, a sparkling wine flute, or tulip is an excellent substitute for a dessert wine glass. Just be sure to pour a smaller volume.
The final type of glass is the tasting glass. It is generally slightly larger than the first white wine glass, but not much. It is that same shape. It is a catch all. Wines of all varieties will be served in this type of glass. It is not the best glass for any wine, but it still gives you the ability to experience the wines.
Glass versus leaded crystal. There is a distinct advantage in serving wine in leaded crystal – particularly the correct shape glass for the wine. I have been told that regular glass is very smooth. When a glass is swirled the wine and aromas are brought up in the the space above the wine, but then tend to sink back down in to the wine. In leaded crystal, apparently, the surface is very porous (microscopic pores) so when the wine is swirled the aromas tend to stick to the pores up the sides of the glass and remain in the space above the wine. This gives a stronger and longer lasting impression of the wine. If you have the chance to pour the same wine in to 2 glasses of the same shape and size, one leaded crystal and one standard glass you will see a noticeable difference in the crystal.
Although there are all of these different glasses you can use whatever glass you want. There are differences in how wines taste from one glass to another, but they might not be as significant and someone trying to sell you wine glasses might make you believe, The one caveat to that is that crystal does truly enhance a wine, but again… it might not be enough of an enhancement to be worth the added cost to you.
Wine glasses get broken so you will always have a chance to try new ones.
Whenever you open a wine, or have a wine opened for you in a restaurant, there is always the possibility of getting a corked bottle. This is a wine that has been contaminated by a molecule, or a family of molecules, that can impart a very specific aroma.
Cork is not actually always the culprit in a so called corked wine. Cork was assumed to be the source, hence, the nickname, but it occurs in wine that has been exposed to haloanisoles. These are a class of compounds that can impart a musty, or moldy aroma in wine. Haloanisoles can be present in cork, but they can also be in the winery, in the water, or in the vineyard. The main haloanisole found in wine is TCA. TCA and Cork taint and generally used interchangeably even though there are other molecules that can contribute to the signature smell.
Moldy and musty characters are generally seen as flaws in wine.
This taint can be found in other things besides just wine. One place I always smell cork taint is on baby carrots. They always have cork taint. (BTW – cork taint is not harmful it just is not how the wine, or carrots are supposed to taste). The next time you eat baby carrots smell them and ask yourself… does this smell musty? Another way cork taint is described is wet cardboard. Do your baby carrots smell like wet cardboard? THEY DO!
If in a restaurant, the server pours you a small taste of wine and it smells like baby carrots, or wet cardboard – tell them that the wine is corked. They are frequently not used to this, but etiquette indicates that they should bring you a new bottle and repeat the taste – just make sure they give you a new glass because cork taint will probably be noticeable in a second wine poured into the same glass.
The statistics vary, but anywhere from 2% – 8% of wines sold are tainted by the haloanisole class of compounds.
There are a number of pieces of information that can be on a label. They are not all required. They do not have to be in any particular order on the label.
BRAND NAME: This is the name of the wine producer, or the specific brand – if they make several different brands. This is required on the label which can be either on the front, or the back label.
QUALITY DESIGNATION: This is a brand by brand designation. There is no legal definition for the quality indicators. This is all about marketing.
VINTAGE: This is legally required on the label, or if there is no vintage listed then there should be NV, or non-vintage somewhere on the label. The vintage year is the year the grapes were picked. If the wine is non-vintage then it is a blend of more than one vintage. Vintage can be helpful in figuring out wine quality because there are vintage to vintage differences due to weather events.
ESTATE DESIGNATION: This is an indication that the fruit comes from the winery property, or estate. This indicates that the fruit is being grown under the supervision of the winery. It is an indication of quality, but there are no rules about how an estate vineyard is farmed.
VARIETAL: This is the grape variety. The majority of the wine in the bottle is that variety. You can purchase blends, and typically they do not have the majority of any single varietal. Blending is a way that winemakers are able to provide you with excellent wine. They are able to take several different wines in different proportions and create a wine that suits their consumer. Blending is not a bad thing.
FANCIFUL NAME: This is not required and falls under the category of marketing.
VINEYARD DESIGNATION: This is not required. It tells you that 95% of the fruit came from a specific vineyard. This is used commonly in regions that have famous vineyards. It is certainly in the category of marketing, but it is a strictly regulated piece of information.
APPELLATION: Appellations are defined by political boundaries like the County, State, or Country of origin. If the wine only has a political area listed then 75% of the fruit used to make the wine must come from that area, and 100% must come from the state that the area is located in. If our hypothetical label above ad indicated Napa County then 75% of the fruit must come from somewhere in Napa County, and 100% of the fruit must come from California.
AVA or AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA: Is a federally recognized area area where 85% of the fruit used to produce the wine must come from. Oakville is an AVA in the heart of the Napa Valley and it has been recognized as a unique growing area by the federal government. If a wine label indicates Oakville then 85% of the fruit must come from Oakville and 100% of the fruit must come from California.
ALCOHOL: The alcohol percentage is a strictly regulated requirement on the label. The only time that you do not see an alcohol percentage is when the wine is labeled as a Table Wine. A table wine has 14% or less alcohol.
Other things you will find on a label are the government warning that warns consumers about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, and drinking and driving. Another requirement is to indicate that the wine contains sulfites. Sulfites are an allergen and this is an attempt to make consumers aware that there are potentially negative side effects to consuming wine. (Most wines do contain sulfites – the exception is organic wine)
All of the label requirements are there to try to help a consumer get what they are paying for. The optional marketing items are there to imply quality, but they are not strictly regulated. Things I look for when I am ordering wine in a restaurant are:
Brand – is there wine from a winery that I know and trust? If not…
AVA – is there a variety that I like that is grown in a region that I like? i.e. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Price – not on the label, but I do always consider the price
Wine Tours are a great opportunity to really get a look at a winery. They are a snapshot of the winery activities for that time of year. Some tours go in to the production areas, and others do not. Do a little research on what the tour includes.
Wine Tours take time. You need to plan for them in your day and generally they are by appointment. The tour usually includes a tasting and the combination of tour and tasting can take a couple of hours. So… if you want to visit several wineries in one day then maybe don’t try to do more than one tour in a day.
Tours are educational experiences and if that sounds like fun… then do it. I love an opportunity to see wineries, and learn about their process. If it sounds tedious then it probably isn’t the right choice for you. If you have the time, and the interest, a wine tour can be a great opportunity to learn more about wine, and probably some history of the winery too.
