Some wine lovers choose to keep their tasting room visits simple. They want to walk in, taste some wine, enjoy the views, and be on their way. Others are seeking a more comprehensive educational experience, hoping to learn more about how the wines are produced and how they can improve the experience of tasting wine. For the latter, we’ve asked our tasting room staff to suggest what questions you should ask during your next visit.
ONLY ASK QUESTIONS YOU’RE INTERESTED IN.
If you ask questions you don’t really care about learning the answer to, it’s a waste of your time and the associate’s time. You want to ask questions that will keep you engaged in the tasting and that you’re genuinely interested in.
ASK ABOUT THE WINE YOU’RE CURRENTLY DRINKING.
If you like the wine you’re drinking, it’s important to find out why you like it. Was it aged in oak? Was it purposely made to be more fruit-forward? Finding out the specifics on why you like a wine make it a lot easier to figure out what you’re going to like in the future. We can also say the same with wines you don’t like.
ASK HOW TO STORE THE WINE YOU BUY.
How you store wine affects its flavor profile. If you store it incorrectly, chances are that it won’t taste the exact same in the tasting room. Asking the associates the correct temperature to store your new wines can help you out.
ASK IF THE WINE IS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE.
This is important because you want to be able to buy more bottles of the wine you like if you happen to run out of the wines you purchased in the tasting room. If it’s only available in the tasting room, then you have more reason to splurge on more bottles. If it’s available near you, then you might not need to get it shipped home.
ASK ABOUT THE LABEL.
Quite often there is history behind the creation of the wine’s label. For example, if there’s a crest on the label, you might want to know where it originated from and what each piece on the crest represents. You can find out a lot about the wine just by asking about the label.
ASK FOR PAIRING SUGGESTIONS.
If you’re purchasing a wine, you’ll want to know what that wine pairs with. The tasting room associate will give you some awesome suggestions that you probably never thought of! Of course, you can always use this guide to help you with pairings.
Ready to book your next tasting room visit? Check out the full roster of Foley Food & Wine Society tasting rooms here.
