Visiting Vino Province - A Vino Buyer's Manifesto


Take a shot glass. Put one-half an ounce of H2O inward it. Pour it inward a vino glass. That tiny fight of liquid is what you lot normally larn when you lot larn a sense of savor of vino inward a tasting room. 
No problem…wineries aren’t bars in addition to they don’t desire their patrons getting drunkard in addition to driving or thus on the rural roads that normally seem inward vino dry soil (by the way, you’re non supposed to swallow it...you’re supposed to sense of savor it in addition to spit it out into the bucket provided thus the alcohol doesn’t erode your feel of taste).
We beloved vino hither at . We beloved that, inward our biased opinion, nosotros alive inward the greatest vino producing surface area inward the world.
Many of our trips involve vino tasting in addition to drinking. Some are fifty-fifty taken simply to sense of savor the vino in addition to nosotros normally come upwardly habitation amongst at to the lowest degree 2 cases of vino inward our trunk.
Winery owners…take banking concern complaint of that final judgement above…at to the lowest degree 2 cases, a lot of the time, even more.  Now, permit me tell you lot how you’re killing the golden goose…wine buyers similar me.
Here are the reasons that I’m actually starting to sour on going to wineries for tasting in addition to vino buying…

Exorbitant tasting fees.  Wine tasting used to live free. This perk is fast diminishing.  Then it became a token fee, to dissuade from getting plastered in addition to driving downwards those narrow dry soil lanes.
Let’s human face upwardly it, a $5 fee isn’t going to pause the banking concern and, if you lot permit me apply that cost to my purchase, non a problem.  The employment comes when I become to a winery, they accuse $12 to $20, or more,for v little sips (the minimum going charge per unit of measurement in many vino destinations these days) in addition to and thus tell me I can’t apply that amount to my purchase.  First, I’ll in all likelihood facial expression you lot inward the eye, say “are you lot serious?”, in addition to plow or thus in addition to walk out when I uncovering you lot are. Second, I won't live dorsum in addition to I won't live buying your wine.
I normally view v or to a greater extent than wineries a day. I’m non going to pay $24 or to a greater extent than (for at to the lowest degree my married adult woman in addition to myself) at each stop for the “privilege” of sampling vino (see the outset paragraph for how much of a sense of savor you lot get) at each one, particularly if I can’t purpose that amount for my purchase.
High Wine Prices.  I realize that some wines are thus good, thus lovingly had crafted amongst peachy tending past times the winemaker that they justify quite a premium. However, I simply paid for the gas to campaign my butt upwardly to your vineyard, to (probably) pay for the “experience” of tasting your wine. I simply saved you lot enough inward transportation costs alone. I don’t desire to pay $25 a bottle for your wine, in addition to thus campaign downwards the colina in addition to come across it on the shelf of Albertson’s for $6.99.  If they tin sell it to me for that price, you lot certain tin too.

Wine Clubs. The latest lame excuse to extract to a greater extent than coin from winery customers to larn them to purchase more.  I don’t know of whatsoever winery that doesn’t get got a vino social club these days.  The come upwardly on is “join our vino social club in addition to you’ll larn complimentary perks” similar complimentary tasting, discounts on wine, in addition to other special promotions. The grab is that you’ll get got to purchase at to the lowest degree a brace of bottles of vino that they select for social club members that are non cheap, in addition to pay for transportation if you lot don’t alive nearby, several times a year. On average, amongst shipping, this volition cost you lot at to the lowest degree $60 for each 2 bottle shipment.
At many wineries, this is the only means you’ll larn a discount in addition to that is normally measley…something on the monastic tell of 10% per case. Hell, my local Ralph’s offers me a 30% discount on vi bottles now, how is this supposed to entice me – particularly if you lot simply get got a few selections of vino that I’ll larn over in addition to over?  And am I expected to bring together every winery’s club?  All 3,300+ inward California?
Give me a meaningful instance discount without having to bring together an expensive club. Give me a social club where I don’t get got to pay (Sobon Estate, for example, only asks for your email address to bring together the social club in addition to larn a 20% instance discount).


Or if you lot absolutely must get got a club, why don’t you lot bring together forces amongst other wineries inward your surface area in addition to get got a regional vino club? Can you lot imagine what a vino social club featuring selections from all the Sonoma wineries would live like?
(NOTE: There are several independent vino clubs that larn vino from all over the public in addition to non accuse you lot an arm in addition to a leg for the privilege – 1 I’m a fellow member of in addition to highly recommend is The Wine of the Month Club inward Monrovia, California.)
Nightclub Atmosphere. Recently, on a vino tasting adventure, nosotros stepped into a winery tasting room. It was similar entering a disco. Loud alive band, crowded, dancing, consummate amongst bartender wiping downwards a location maxim “twelve dollars each, what’ll you lot have?” Turned or thus in addition to walked out. If you’re going to foster that form of atmosphere, simply halt calling yourself a winery in addition to say you’re a bar or nightclub.

Okay, at in 1 lawsuit that I’ve listed my biggest pet peeves, know that I nonetheless uncovering some outstanding examples of wineries that by in addition to large exercise it right. Props become to the wineries of Amador County – habitation of some of the best ruby wines on globe – for scoffing at the thought of charging for tasting, at to the lowest degree for at in 1 lawsuit (though a brace of pretentious newcomers are trying to alter that); Galleano for hanging on past times a thread, charging a little fee ($5) that tin live applied to their really inexpensive in addition to delicious selections (they’ll fifty-fifty hand you lot a coupon to get got a drinking glass of their vino at a local Basque restaurant); and the increasingly difficult to find, honest winemakers of California that prefer to permit their vino to the talking earlier you lot opened upwardly your wallet.
For the remainder of you, delight get got some of this commentary to heart. I’d similar to savor trips to the vino dry soil again.
-Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

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