It wouldn’t seem credible to provide all this advice without conveying some real experiences and some evaluation thereof. Toward that end, I’ve tried to make it easy to sort through by applying a 10 point system to three, evenly-weighted categories. Before getting to the nitty gritty, I should at least offer you the primer. The three categories by which each of the wineries were evaluated include tasting room/location (TRL), staff (S), and of course, the wine (W). It’s fair to ask, why I weighted them evenly, in lieu of weighting the wine more. You’re more than welcome to weigh the categories any way you want, but my rationale is that these are the three principal components that compose the entire wine tasting experience. As focused as I am about wine tasting, it’s the experience that draws me back. Having said that, here’s where my head is when quantifying each element of the experience. ( See Pages - TRL - Tasting Room/Location, Tasting Room Staff, The Wine)
Important advice for wine tasting...
When tasting wines, leave your self-deprecation in the car. Saying that you are “not a wine connoisseur” only tells the pourer that you are a cheap date. Don’t under-value your preferences in wine just because you lack experience.
Let the tasting experience become about finding your wine preferences and not about judging quality. There will be a time, with experience, to judge quality.
Be discerning, be discriminating. Demonstrate that you are as good of a customer as a restaurateur and you’ll be treated in-kind if the staff is worth their salt. If you communicate a critical (but respectful) assessment of the wine they have just poured for you, they'll tend to go out their way to get your opinion on other wines. The wines listed on the tasting menu are NOT the only ones they'll pour for you. Often, the best finds are under the counter waiting for a discerning palate. Demonstrating that you know their wines goes a long way, too.
As your experience grows, learn their language. They won't be able to relate to you until you can and that impairs their ability to find what you like.
