wine tasting tips

Taking a trip to wine country, but aren’t sure on the proper protocols when it comes to visiting a winery and doing a tasting? Or maybe you’re just anxious that you will over do it and end up running what should be a great experience.

Never fear! At Hope Family Wines we are always here to make sure that you have the best wine tasting experience possible. When you visit our Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar you’re like family. We are here to help walk you through everything you need to know about our different wines, wine in general, and answer any questions you may have.

Our wine tastings are casual and fun, so you don’t have to worry about feeling out of place, or that you’re not fitting in with what you may be expecting from more seasoned wine drinkers.

Everyone was a beginner at some point, and the only way you can become more well versed in the ways of wine, is to sit down and take the time to learn and enjoy it. And that’s our goal with every single person that walks through our doors.

A wine tasting should not be a stressful experience. In fact, it should be just the opposite. A time to relax and learn about different types of wine while enjoying the company of friends and family.

We’ve put together a few tips to help you ensure that you get the most out your wine tasting experience.

Wine Tasting Tips

1. Dress For the Event

Wine tasting and wine tasting events can range from upscale to casual, so it’s important to know ahead of time what type of tasting you’ll be attending as this will determine what sort of outfit you’ll choose.

Of course, you want to choose an outfit that is appropriate for the particular event, but there are a few things you should keep in mind no matter what type of event it is.

Wearing darker colors will help prevent noticeable spills or stains that may occur during the event. Even if you’re extremely careful, there’s always the chance of an accident, especially when alcohol is involved. Women should avoid wearing dresses or shirts with large, flowing sleeves, which can get snagged on glasses and objects around the venue. And you should try to avoid heels if it’s an event where you’re going to be on your feet most of the time.

2. Eat Something, Bring Snacks, Drink Water

If you’re not careful when doing a wine tasting, you can easily lose track of how much you’ve drank. This can lead to becoming overly intoxicated and possibly ruining your day. One of the easiest things you can do to help keep your body in check when drinking wine is to make sure you eat and drink water.

You never want to go into a wine tasting on an empty stomach because you will begin to feel the effects of the alcohol a lot quicker than if you eat before. We would also recommend either bringing snacks, or taking advantage of any snacks that may be offered at the venue/tasting room. Food can help absorb alcohol and help to maintain sobriety while enjoying your day at the winery.

It’s also important to drink enough water throughout your time tasting. Water will keep you hydrated, which can help reduce the severity of a hangover.

3. Follow the Recommendations

One of the best things you can do when wine tasting is to listen to the professionals. Whether you’re tasting at a winery tasting room or a fancy wine tasting event, whoever is hosting the tasting should know what they are talking about and you should listen to them.

When a flight of wine is brought to your table and it is recommended that you drink them in a certain order, there’s a reason for that. If drank in a different order, you may not get the full experience because some of the heavier wines may throw off the taste of some of the other wines. It’s similar to how certain wines go well with certain foods; there’s a science to it.

Dry wines can affect your mouth and taste buds, thus making foods and wines that you try afterwards taste different.

This is also a great opportunity for you to try different wines you may have never had before, so don’t be shy. You can always ask questions and advice based on what you know you already like, but definitely be open to trying new wines. You never know, you might just surprise yourself.

4. Drink Responsibly

This one should go without saying, but it’s an important one. Obviously if you drove to the winery, or the wine tasting event, you should not be impaired when driving home. Be smart and be safe.

That being said, sometimes it can be hard to try all the different wines without overdoing it, but that’s why you don’t have to drink every single glass of wine that is put in front of you.

Typically, a flight of wine is the equivalent to one full glass of wine. So keep that in mind when trying multiple flights, or multiple different wines. It can add up quickly.

There is no shame in spitting out, or passing, on the wines you don’t like. Nobody is going to be offended by this. In fact, we would much rather you stay safe than feel bad about wasting wine. The wineries know that not everyone is going to like every wine, so it’s totally acceptable to take a couple sips and discard a wine you don’t enjoy.

Plus, why would anyone want to drink something they don’t enjoy? The whole point of wine tasting is to find out what you do like, and with that comes weeding through the wines you don’t.

So if you don’t like a wine, don’t feel pressured to finish it, but if you do like it, there’s no harm in drinking the whole glass. That’s what it’s there for.

5. Ask Questions

As we said, wine tastings are a great way to try a bunch of different types and varietals of wine to help you figure out which ones you like and which ones you don’t. And along with that comes learning more about the wines that you’re trying. So please ask questions if you have any.

That’s what the professionals are there for. Whether you’re curious about the type of grapes used, or the overall wine making process, or just what types of food pair well with certain wines, that’s what we’re here for.

You should never feel embarrassed asking a question about the wine you’re drinking at a wine tasting. That’s part of the whole point of having a wine tasting.

Wine Tasting should be an enjoyable experience for everyone whether you’re taking part in a wine tasting event, or just heading to wine country for the day. By following these simple tips, you can ensure a pleasant experience for you and your friends/family.

If you have any questions about our Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar, please let us know. We can help answer any questions you may have regarding our wines, our safety procedures during the COVID pandemic, as well as what you can expect from us.

The most important thing when doing a wine tasting is to remain safe. Please drink responsibly.