Wine Tasting Etiquette

[Madanie7]

Hi guys,
Just wondering what the etiquette is for wine tasting?
Is it frowned upon to go to a free tasting in a shop or a cellar door only to turn around walk out and not buy?

Been to a couple of cellar doors and feel awkward with the thought of saying thanks, but no thanks.

Cheers
Brendan

[deejay81]

It isn't frowned upon.
Yeah it's natural to feel bad after doing a tasting esp if its a large tasting of many many samples and you walk away without buying anything, but I feel worse if I end up bringing home stuff that I never really wanted.

It's kind of the point of tastings though, so you can taste, and if you like, then buy.

[TiggerK]

Agreed, just be polite, 'thanks but no thanks, not today'. If they have an issue with that, you don't want to be buying from them anyway!

It's always tricky if you are the only one there, especially if the staff have been nice, sometimes I will buy one bottle of the wine I liked most as a token gesture of appreciation, but it should never be expected and I've never had any issues with just thanking them for the tasting and walking out.

Cheers
Tim

[Madanie7]

Thanks deejay & Tim.
I guess it is easier if it is a wine retailer than a cellar door too.

And do it in a group, odds are someone else will buy something

[rooman]

At cellar doors, I think its poor form not to buy a single bottle if you try a range of their wines. Worst case scenario, I end up taking it to a BBQ or using it as a late night quaffer. Remember it is often the owners of the vineyard or their family members who are running the cellar door and they put their heart and soul into their wines. if you really don't want to buy at every cellar door then do some research and work out who are the must-see vineyards in the region.

With shops however it is different, they are often part of a chain and for them it is just a numbers game. Having said that,if I go to a small privately owned shop such as Five Way in Sydney then I normally try to buy something even if it is not the wines on show as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts.

[Phil H]

I will usually buy 1 token bottle - usually the best of the worst on tasting. However I have been pleasantly suprised some months or years later opening this wine and enjoying it. On this note I think I still have a Chambourcin lurking somewhere from a South Coast winery that I have been putting off opening, maybe tonight.

[Madanie7]

Thanks guys.
I have only ever been to cellar doors in Tassie (honeymoon) and Granite Belt (weekend away). I have always at least bought the token bottle from the CD. Some I bought a couple because I did in fact like what I tasted.
Large retailers if they have had tasting didn't worry me however I was there to buy something anyway and haven't been to a small shop yet.

I read this forum quite alot (fantastic information) and the large vibe from all is "only buy what you love and want to drink" so my question stemmed around what happens if I don't love what I tasted.

Thanks again
Brendan

[Scotty vino]

We've all been there. Empty cellar door, super enthusiastic attendant.........crap wine.
The few times I've been in this situ has made me feel very awkward.
That silence between tasting, small talk and leaving is always weird.
In my head I'm always quoting Jim Carrey...."alrighty then"!

Nothing better when a large group rolls in behind you giving you the opportunity to leave guilt free and seeminly unnoticed. OK go!!

Etiquette? A simple serve of manners and a thanks but no thanks smile is more than enough.

What's often frustrating is showing up to a cellar door with VERY high expectations, and being disappointed. Disappointed to the point where you leave with nothing. I give the cellar door attendant and the wine that face of 'I really thought we were meant to be' !

End of the day once you throw open your doors and yourself to the mercy of the public you must expect it all.

[Madanie7]

In my head I'm always quoting Jim Carrey...."alrighty then"!

Nothing better when a large group rolls in behind you giving you the opportunity to leave guilt free and seeminly unnoticed. OK go!!

[Polymer]

I don't think you should feel obligated to buy the token bottle...If you do find something you liked, that's fine...if you didn't, don't feel like you have to buy...the cellar door is there for sales but also for marketing....You tasting a wine there you liked means possible business for them in the future..and that's the whole point..

I do think your threshold for a buy is probably lower when you're at a cellar door...because you do feel you want to buy at least one thing, you've had a great time, etc...and that's fine..but if you really don't want to buy anything, you shouldn't...

[Ian S]

I certainly wouldn't feel obligated at a wine shop or cellar door, and only once has pressure ever been applied (and ignored)

Slightly different to my mind at winery visits, where key staff, often the winemaker, take time out of their day to talk through production from vine to bottle, answering dumb questions, offering simple palate cleansers (bread, crackers, grissini, but also salami and occasionally something else they made up), plus of course tasting the wines they made with them. In that scenario I do always plan to buy a bottle, and even the most unimpressive wineries of recent times have had 1-2 bottles that were at least good value for drinking back at the apartment during the holiday.

[sjw_11]

At cellar doors, I think its poor form not to buy a single bottle if you try a range of their wines. Worst case scenario, I end up taking it to a BBQ or using it as a late night quaffer. Remember it is often the owners of the vineyard or their family members who are running the cellar door and they put their heart and soul into their wines. if you really don't want to buy at every cellar door then do some research and work out who are the must-see vineyards in the region.

With shops however it is different, they are often part of a chain and for them it is just a numbers game. Having said that,if I go to a small privately owned shop such as Five Way in Sydney then I normally try to buy something even if it is not the wines on show as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts.

This is by and large my approach.

If I visit quite a few cellar doors and literally cannot carry any more bottles home in my luggage I will explain that and pointedly ask for a mail order form or to be added to the mailing list. (though in reality I might not ever order!)

[phillisc]

I generally have the approach of buying at least something at a CD...particularly small players.
On the odd occasion I have brought a jar of pickled onions...and no wine
Cheers
Craig

[Mike Hawkins]

I don't feel obligated, and at most (not all) of the CDs I go to (both Oz and France), I have generally bought there in the past. As such, I'm inclined to mention any recent experience I've had with their wines, so that they at least realise I've supported them before.

[Ozzie W]

I research the cellar doors I visit beforehand, so I normally visit with the intention of buying something. Saying that, on the odd occasion when nothing tickles my fancy, I still buy a token bottle as a thank-you if the person at the tasting bench has shown an interest to give me a good tasting experience.

I find that many cellar doors now have a tasting fee, which is refunded if you buy something. I certainly wouldn't feel any obligation to buy if I was charged for the tasting.

[Madanie7]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Good to hear the range of opinions.

[rooman]

At cellar doors, I think its poor form not to buy a single bottle if you try a range of their wines. Worst case scenario, I end up taking it to a BBQ or using it as a late night quaffer. Remember it is often the owners of the vineyard or their family members who are running the cellar door and they put their heart and soul into their wines. if you really don't want to buy at every cellar door then do some research and work out who are the must-see vineyards in the region.

With shops however it is different, they are often part of a chain and for them it is just a numbers game. Having said that,if I go to a small privately owned shop such as Five Way in Sydney then I normally try to buy something even if it is not the wines on show as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts.

This is by and large my approach.

If I visit quite a few cellar doors and literally cannot carry any more bottles home in my luggage I will explain that and pointedly ask for a mail order form or to be added to the mailing list. (though in reality I might not ever order!)

This is very much a variation on another theme, namely do you tip or should you tip in restaurants? Having worked in restaurants, I always tip unless the service is bad. If its good service then the tip is up around 10% or more, average service perhaps 5%ish and for bad service -zero.

I have friends however, including some who well off so its not a question of financial resources, who outright refuse to tip in Australia no matter how good the service is. There view is there is no legal requirement to tip so why invent some form of moral requirement. In these situations I will generally leave a tip to cover both of us and we will then argue about the merits of tips.

Its all about your personal philosophy in life and your view on karma.

[Ian S]

Hi Rooman
Tip or not to tip, and how much creates a huge dilemma. In the US the tips are often critical to the employee making a living, in the UK somewhat less, whilst France has a reputation for paying properly and more people make their career in the business, rather being a transient passing through.

Australia never had a tipping culture, but that sounds like it has crept in. Much depends on whether restaurant staff get paid fairly, or whether they must rely on tips to make it worthwhile. The ideal IMO is that they get paid fairly, then tips become something for someone going genuinely above and beyond, not as a replacement for salary.

Regards
Ian

p.s. I remember being berated by an Aussie (fellow diner at another table) for tipping in Australia - "We don't do that here mate"

[Mark Carrington]

Initial visit to the no-longer-there Cibo (thanks to Trav's reco) in N. Ade, including first ever Rockford BP ('98), my mate & I left a tip. Staff pursued as out the door with our 'change' -all a bit awkward . We ate in there every other night & on final visit the gelato was on the house. We insisted they accepted a tip.

As for vineyard visits, I go only to producers of interest & I aim to buy, where possible. If flying this is practical anymore, due to security. Occasionally, I've not bothered due to sub-par quality or the attitude of the staff. And on rare occasions none is for sale, though the grower has been willing to see me (most recently @ Pierre Gonon).

[trufflequeen]

At small cellar doors, I'll almost always buy something, and more often than not, it'll be because I enjoy what I try or feel it has cellaring potential (as others have mentioned above, I usually research before I taste). I'm very aware that for some small operators in areas which are 'off the radar', they may be looking at just a handful of visitors per week. And if I've phoned ahead to a vigneron who is opening up specially for us to visit, I think a purchase is necessary and welcomed.

That being said, I don't feel an obligation to buy for the sake of buying where there is a charge per head, or at places like Pennies which are often overrun with large bussed in crowds.

[Michael McNally]

As I am spitting and clearly not there for the free booze, if nothing is much chop then I will say something like "Sorry, there wasn't anything there that is in my style" and leave without purchasing anything. This doesn't happen very often as there is usually a wine or two that I really like. If I like and am enthusiastic about the range of wines I always buy at least one bottle. In the Clare recently I think there wasn't a single winery I went to that I didn't purchase a bottle, though at Tim Adams it was a desert white for my partner. But, I have been to wineries where I didn't buy a thing because nothing actually appealed and I haven't lost any sleep for that.

Cheers

Michael

[Scotty vino]

At small cellar doors, I'll almost always buy something, and more often than not, it'll be because I enjoy what I try or feel it has cellaring potential (as others have mentioned above, I usually research before I taste). I'm very aware that for some small operators in areas which are 'off the radar', they may be looking at just a handful of visitors per week. And if I've phoned ahead to a vigneron who is opening up specially for us to visit, I think a purchase is necessary and welcomed.

That being said, I don't feel an obligation to buy for the sake of buying where there is a charge per head, or at places like Pennies which are often overrun with large bussed in crowds.

The obligation level definitely rises when you ask a winemaker to pop the shears down in the vineyard and open the cellar door.
IN appt only cases it does pay to have some research in the bank and a strong recommendation.

[Diddy]

I actually don't mind paid tastings for this very reason - in my mind it takes away any obligation to purchase and I can happily leave having paid my tasting fee.

[Dragzworthy]

I agree with Diddy, I'd rather the option to pay for the tasting and not buy a bottle ... Indo fee obligated to buy something

[wheel]

Depends on the cellar door and the tasting layout. A lot more cellar doors i am noticing a tasting charge that is waived on purchase. If the service sucks, dont buy anything. If the service was great but you didnt like the wines, as the others have said. a token $20 wine that will be on gifted to some relative you dont particularly like at christmas or a bbq isnt the worst thing that you have to deal with realistically.