I noticed a discussion on LinkedIn in the winemaker’s group about people that have perfume or after shave on when attending a winery for a tasting. Most of the comments pointed to not wearing perfume or aftershave because it can interfere with the wine tasting experience. Perfume is only one example of tasting room etiquette. There are many others. Brushing your teeth with toothpaste just before a tasting is another. Tasting room staff should know proper etiquette and if they do not, etiquette should be part of their training. But where do wine travelers learn about tasting room etiquette?

Tasting room etiquette is not a topic covered in school curricula. Few winery/vineyard tasting rooms have a list of rules posted in their tasting rooms. Visitors are left to their own common sense or articles that discuss the topic. Wine Trail Traveler wrote an article about tasting room etiquette that has had thousands of views since its publication. Should tasting rooms teach etiquette? Perhaps wine writers should broach the topic every now and then so there readers are informed.

Early spring brings more visitors to winery/vineyard tasting rooms. The number of visitors will grow steadily throughout the spring and summer reaching a high from August through October before trailing off for the remainder of autumn and winter. Now is a good time to inform the public about proper behavior in a tasting room. All wineries claim that they provide a great experience for their visitors. Many of these wineries also believe in providing edutainment for their visitors. Etiquette, however, is often left to trail and error.

Cheers,
Terry