Going on a wine tasting tour is often the best approach to intensify your knowledge upon certain wine types, wine regions, winemaking techniques and much more. It is for those who not only enjoy drinking wine but also wants to explore more and more into the wine world. There are wonderful wine regions across the globe, carrying beautiful vineyards and wineries. Organizing wine tasting tours is their chance to share their creations with you. There are many organizers who offer wine tour packages, such as Food & Wine Vacations and Cellar Tours. However, visiting vineyards and tasting wines can be more pleasant and enjoyable by being attentive to certain things. The tips are here.

Pre-plan your trip

It is crucial to know what you are looking for on the trip and which things you will be needing on the trip before your arrival at the tour. What if you relish Chardonnay but they offer you, Sauvignon Blanc? Knowing things in advance is important.

On a self-guided tour, it is advisable to take a google search to get an idea of what that area will offer. Using this quick search, you can avoid the wines that you don’t want to know about. This way, you can map your days and save time for tasting instead of driving and losing time.

Be thoughtful of your wine tour outfit

Choosing a tour appropriate outfit is as important as everything else. You may spend your time around vineyards and start feeling dusty. You may even get achy legs. Go for comfortable clothes and shoes to avoid this. Bringing along a hat and scarf is also a good opinion, you might stay in the open sky the entire day.

Plan for transportation to and from the vineyard

Check if your tasting includes transportation. Usually, wineries provide you with transportation if you are not staying in a nearby area, but some might not. There are chances of those little sips to adding up to a big amount. Hence, hiring a taxi or driver is a good opinion.

Take notes with you

On a tour, there might be multiple tastings and you may forget which wine you liked the most. You may also want to take notes of the important information. Therefore, take small notes with you to copy what pleased you more.

Ask Questions to wine producers or guides

Never be afraid to ask them questions. These tours are intended to give you a vast view on winemaking and tasting, so ask as many questions as you can. It will only clear out your doubts. You may not be able to identify the characteristics and technical details of wine on your own. Wine producers would be pleased to share and talk about how they made their wines and how their wines are.

Follow the tasting order

There is a science behind wine tasting sequence. It takes a long time to organize wines for their optimal results. Tannins, sugar and astringent stays for longer on the palate which may destroy the taste of the next wine you drink. Therefore, during tours, delicate wines and rose wines are always served before red wines and dessert wines.

Go outside your comfort zone

Be open to explore and try new wines. Some of the wineries offer limited productions during tasting session only. So, go out of comfort zone and try those wines because you may not get those ones anywhere in the restaurants and shops or bars. Also, this might give you your new favourite wine that you would like to take home with you.

Keep water and snacks with you

Taking wine on empty stomach is not good. To avoid stumbling upon the floor, it’s good to eat some snacks before you start tasting. Water is a universal solvent which will be helpful in cleaning your palate. Also, it will save you in the summer and fall in warm wine regions. In the large tasting events, heat stroke and dehydration are most likely to happen, so, sufficient water intake is advisable.

Two sips & spit

Lower intake will allow you to try more flavours. Each flight has approximately one big glass of wine, so sipping it all will add up fast if you are at a large event. Taking one or two sips and spitting out if you don’t like it will be much beneficial.

Keep some interval between one wine tasting and the other

Wine tasting is a time to enjoy and not to rush. If you are going to take multiple tastings in one day, maintain a certain gap between the two tastings. Find friendly guides, winemakers and villagers and know about their wine and production. Keeping time between two tastings will also help you refresh your palate so that you can enjoy the original taste of wine at the next tasting.

Buy a bottle of wine from the producer or at least show interest

If you can’t buy a bottle, just show interest. It is a good gesture. Buy a wine case beforehand so that you can save bottles shaking around the car, in case if you buy a bottle or two.

Visit wineries early in the day

It is best to visit the wineries during the off-season. But if you are visiting in a high-season, try to reach the destination early in the day. Once the tasting rooms get packed, the staff won’t have enough time to explain to you the things in depth.

The wine has a specific vocabulary and a wide range of flavours to ace. Plan your winery trips with these tips and make the most out of your wine tasting trips.