The Case for Wine Tasting - In Case You Need a Reason!

Do you love wine tasting?  Who doesn’t?

But why do you go wine tasting - is it for fun only?  Or maybe to experiment a bit and see what wines work best for you?  Either way it’s a good thing, especially if you do it for both reasons.

Think of it this way - when you go shopping for clothing, do you just pick up an item and bring it to the counter and pay for it and bring it home, never knowing if the item is right for you until you put it on for the first time at home?  Probably not.  You probably bring the clothing into the fitting room and put them on, see how they look and feel, take a look in the mirror, and take another look in the mirror, and possibly ask for the opinion of an employee at the clothing shop, or bring a friend for another opinion.  Only then, after careful deliberation, do you decide to make a purchase.

Why not do the same thing with wine?  If you’re permitted to taste before you buy, why not take advantage of the opportunity?  It lowers the risk of not liking the wine you purchase, and tastings are generally not expensive, and some tastings are free, whether it’s at the winery or at a wine shop.

This summer I’m scheduled to pour a lot of in-store weekend tastings, aside from my regular Friday tastings.  The public will have an opportunity to try before they buy, and I’ll have an opportunity to explain the products to them, and help them find the wines that are right for them.

When someone says, “no, thank you” in response to whether they’d like to taste, for free, I wonder why that happens.  It only takes a few seconds to taste, it costs nothing, and you won’t get drunk on one sip.  And if you’re still afraid of getting drunk, taste it and then spit it into the bucket - that’s why the bucket is there.  People at tastings sometimes tell me that it’s a waste for me to spit it out, when they see me do that.  This makes no sense to me - it’s a much bigger waste to buy a wine that you’re not sure you’re going to enjoy.  Just taste it - trust me, you won’t be sorry.  What have you got to lose?