6 Tips for a Successful Wine Tasting Tour

Washington Winery Group Offers Suggestions to Enhance Experience

Aug 17, 2009

Wine Yakima Valley, an organization which represents wineries in central Washington, offers six tips to enhance visitors' wine tasting experiences.

The association suggests planning ahead will reap rewards on tasting day. It offers the following tips. These tips apply to wine tasting experiences anywhere, not just the Yakima Valley. The Yakima Valley Appellation is the oldest and largest wine growing region in the state, with 12,000 acres of premium wine grapes.

Plan an Itinerary

Wine Yakima Valley represents 50 wineries stretching from Prosser in the south to Yakima in the north. Most are located along the Interstate 82 corridor. Plus, new wineries are going into business all the time in central Washington. An association brochure has a map to all its member wineries.

The association suggests limiting tasting to three or four wineries a day. “A leisurely tasting will allow you time to let your senses pay attention to the flavors of each wine.” The association also suggests planning an itinerary that ends up at a winery that has a picnic area for lunch.

Have a Designated Driver

Drinking and driving is against the law. Sampling several wines at several wineries could be enough to impact a person’s ability to drive safely. In the Yakima Valley, wineries are only minutes apart, either by foot or by car. Don’t take any chances; pick one person to do the day’s driving. Wineries provide juices or “ultra premium” (tap) water for non-drinkers. The association also suggests that after “tasting” a wine, a person can spit it out into a container wineries provide for this purpose.

Wine Tasting Etiquette

Avoid wearing strong scent or smoking immediately before visiting a tasting room, the association says. This allows tasters to evaluate a wine’s aroma without other competition. The association also notes its okay to pour a wine sample out if the taster doesn’t like it.

Try Different Wines

Each winery has its own style of making wines, so a Chardonnay will taste different from one winery to the next. A tasting tour could consist of only sampling Chardonnays. Or a Chardonnay aficionado could sample Merlots of Rieslings.

Ask Questions

This applies to all tasters, whether they are novices or experts. The association notes that sometimes the person behind the tasting room counter is the owner or winemaker. “These committed wine enthusiasts love to talk wine, so a simple question can get you valuable information.

At the Winery

Many wineries charge a tasting room fee, usually $5 per person, to sample wines. The wineries usually apply this fee to wines purchased.

The association also suggests signing up for a winery’s newsletter or mailing list to get information on special sales or events.

Wine Yakima Valley sponsors three events a year which draw thousands of wine tasters from all over the Pacific Northwest. They are:

The copyright of the article 6 Tips for a Successful Wine Tasting Tour in New World Wine is owned by Cheryl Probst. Permission to republish 6 Tips for a Successful Wine Tasting Tour in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.