Planning Your First Wine-Tasting Trip? How To Make The Most Of Your Experience

If you enjoy a nice glass of wine with your meals, it's time to do some exploring. There's a lot to be said for exploring wineries, and there are a great many wineries to explore. Visiting your local wineries will allow you to enjoy samples of some of the newer varieties that haven't made it to the general public yet. They'll also allow you to meet the people behind those wines. Now's the time to plan a weekend trip to a local winery so you can taste their newest offerings. To help you get the full enjoyment from your first trip to a winery, here are a few tips you should follow.

Don't Chew Gum

You might not think that piece of gum you're chewing will cause any harm, but when it comes to wine tasting, your piece of gum could ruin the whole experience for you. When you're tasting wine, you want your palette to be uncontaminated with other tastes. Make sure you can taste all the subtle – and not-so-subtle nuances of the wine by avoiding chewing gum until after you're day of tasting is complete.

Bring Your Own Water

While you're tasting wine, you'll want to refresh your mouth after each sample. The best way to do that is to employ the double-spit method. First, sip the wine and swish it around in your mouth. Second, spit the sample into the spit bucket. Third, take a sip of fresh water and swish it around in your mouth. Finally, spit the water into the spit bucket. If you do that after each sample, you'll be able to enjoy each wine you taste. To make sure you have enough water for your wine-tasting experience, bring a bottle along with you.

Avoid the Tourist Traps

As stated earlier, there are a lot of wineries available for tasting and touring. If you want to get the best samples of wine, and enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere, avoid the tourist trap wineries. Those are the wineries that sell souvenirs, and are located close to main highways. Instead, head off the beaten path, and choose wineries that are smaller and more intimate.

Limit Your Purchases

If you fall in love with a few wines, buy a bottle of each. You may be tempted to buy several bottles of your favorites, but it's best to play it safe. You never know if you'll still feel the same about your choices once you leave the winery. Take your wine selections with you, and give them another taste once you get home. If you still love them, contact the winery and ask them to ship you a couple more bottles.  

Contact a tour company, like Roots & Vines Tour Co., for more help.