One of the greatest pleasures I discovered many years ago was the beauty and fun of wine tasting. Exploring the various wineries and their distinct personalities, picking up cheese and fruit for our anticipated midday picnic, the thrill of your specially selected purchases, culminating with the heady rush of a memorable day in wine country; it didn't get much better! Did I mention that we didn't pay one cent for tastings, not even a dime to tip our servers, and, whoever heard of a wine club?
Fast-forward about 20 years (I just aged myself, didn't I?) It's a whole new scene. The world of wine tasting has vastly changed over time. Wine tasting has become big business. It's the Disneyland of drinking packed full of fun for adults. For those of you who remember the days of free tastings and now grumble about the cost of admission…peek in the back room of a winery nowadays and view the cases upon cases of wine poured in just one busy day. It's mind-boggling. With a boom in wine business nationwide and such an emphasis on wine regions as vacation destinations, the wineries had to implement a tasting fee to help off-set their ever increasing costs to provide this service. In return, most wineries include a fun logo glass with the fee, apply credit toward your purchases, reimburse you the fee for joining their wine club, OR a combination thereof.
Tipping. Obviously, tipping your server is not mandatory. However, if you have a server that has taken the time to educate you on the distinct wines of that particular winery, patiently answered your questions, helped you make buying decisions, given you excellent service all around...what better way to show your gratitude than a tip. It's not always easy dealing with large crowds that have been imbibing all day and sometimes not on their best behavior.
So what's with all the wine clubs? These are wonderful perks that the wineries have created with their wine patrons in mind. While wine clubs vary from winery to winery, most will not cost anything to join. They offer you discounts on everything from wine, gifts, and events plus exclusive offers on select wines, wine-club only events, and free tastings. If you fall in love with a certain winery, by all means, join the wine club!
My husband and I are blessed to be in the wine industry and as a result are often treated to complementary tastings when we're out exploring. As our thank you, we never leave a winery without a purchase or two, even if we weren't totally jazzed about the wine. It's a matter of courtesy. We also make sure we take good care of our server as well. It creates goodwill and, often, they'll return the favor by visiting our winery in the future. If you are lucky enough to receive free tastings whether due to an industry perk or through a coupon; please, please show your appreciation by purchasing something at the establishment and leave something for your server.
It's a little thing called wine etiquette.
No comments:
Post a Comment