Before You Book a Winery Tour: 7 Things You Need to Do

winery tour

Wine tasting season is quickly approaching, so it’s time to settle your vineyard visits. However, if you’ve never been on a wine tasting tour before, you may be unsure of the proper protocol to follow.

We want to make sure you have the most fantastic first time possible if you’re new to the experience, so we created this helpful guide to know what to anticipate before you hit the road.

1. Visit the Website Beforehand

Doing research ahead will give you a better sense of what to expect and let you know if the winery is open to the public. The website can show you if it is a private tasting and tour of a winery, in which case you’ll want to call and make sure it’s ok to bring your family.

Furthermore, researching helps you to know what to ask. What are their winemaking practices? How do they consider the flavour profiles, and how do they mix the grapes? What can you anticipate, and how is their tasting room set up?

2. Hire a Designated Driver

If you are going wine tasting with friends, consider having a designated driver, or leave a car at the vineyard if you’ve had too much to drink. Even one glass of wine can impair your ability to concentrate and make decisions, so you’ll want to plan for this.

3. Make a Precise Itinerary

If you are going out for wine tasting, plan several stops during the day or for several days.  Include enough time to get there and back, plus some extra time if you decide to shop at any wineries. Many of them sell souvenirs, so you’ll want to plan to browse through the gift shops for a lot of time.

4. Consider The Time of Year

The time of year you prefer wine taste will affect your plans. If you visit in early summer, you may want to plan to go during the weekdays, as most wineries are much busier on weekends. If you’re seeing in the winter months, you may want to arrange to visit a winery that’s easy to get to, for example, a winery located on the main highway. 

5. Take an Empty Box with You

Take an empty box or small cooler to hold your favourite wines. If you enjoy your tastings as much as we do, you’ll want to take multiple bottles of your top picks home. Most vineyards will charge you a corkage fee for each bottle you take home, so bringing your container is a good idea!

6. Know What to Expect during a Tasting

Wine tasting is also an educational experience, so listen carefully to what your Sommelier says. The tasting experience is part wine tasting and part social hour, so don’t rush through the experience. Take the opportunity to enjoy the ambience and talk with the staff.

7. Don’t Feel Pressured to Buy Wine

Be fun and exciting while enjoying your wine tasting. Share what you like, and don’t be afraid to try things you’ve never tried before. You don’t have to buy a bottle of wine the second you walk out of the tasting room.

Conclusion

Don’t stress yourself out by doing everything the way the pros do it! You might take your wine tasting experience seriously, but the most important thing is having fun and smiling. There will be no test at the end of the tasting, and you are not required to impress anyone. Just have fun with it!

Unsure where to start? At Limousine Wine Tours, we offer memorable limousine winery tours to those living in or visiting Melbourne’s Yarra Valley & Mornington regions. Book a wine tasting tour like no other, as this is the best way to experience multiple wineries. Check our limo wine tour today!

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