Why You Should Take a Wine Country Tour

Wine Country Canada - Photo: Pixabay

Are you a wine drinker?  If you are, have you ever thought about the history of wine, such as how it is made or why wine drinking and tasting is known as a popular activity?  If you have, you may want to plan a visit to wine country.  With that being said, a “traditional,” visit isn’t all that you should do, you should also take a wine country tour.

As nice as it is to hear that you should visit wine country and take a wine country tour, you may be wondering why.  After all, depending on where you live, you may need to travel quite far to visit an area that is referred to as wine country.  After a close exanimation, you will see that there are a number of reasons why you should not only visit wine country but also take a wine country tour.

One of the many reasons why you should arrange to take a wine country tour is because of the options you have.  For starters, wine country is a phrase that is used to describe an area that is known for their production of wine. When many of us think of wine country, California, namely Northern California, is often what first comes to mind.  With that said, there are other areas in the United States that are commonly referred to as wine country as well, such as part of New York State and Washington State.  Many of these other areas and their wineries also offer tours for wine enthusiasts.

As previously stated, depending on where you live, you may have to travel quite a distance to arrive at California’s wine country or another state’s wine country.  Even so, you are still urged to examine your options.  This is because wine tours make for great vacations.  Depending on where you visit, you can spend a few hours touring local vineyards and wineries or you can spend a few days doing so.  Also, in terms of being a great purpose for being a vacation, many of the communities surrounding well-known vineyards and wineries have an unlimited number of fun activities, such as hiking and dancing, as well as affordable overnight accommodations.

Returning back to the options that you have, it is important to know that wine tours come in a number of different formats. Guided wine tours are perfect for tourists who want to see the “best parts,” of wine country, as well as those who are unfamiliar with the area or may not have their own mode of transportation.  Although you will find some variations, many guided wine tours have tourists meet in a public place and then travel is provided, often by van or bus.

Although guided wine tours are popular with tourists, there are many more individuals, including both tourists and locals, who are interested in taking independent wine country tours.  Independent wine tours are ideal for wine enthusiasts who want to enjoy wine and its history without feeling rushed or pressured by other tourists and tour guides.  Most wineries and vineyards in California, as well as Washington and New York, have open doors.  If not, information on ideal times for visiting should be readily available online.  This information is typically posted to prevent conflict with planned events, such as weddings.

For the most part, tourists find that taking wine tours are affordable.  Many wineries and vineyards provide free access to visitors, but there are no guarantees.  For the most part, the costs associated with wine tours comes from wine tasting, which is a must do.  However, you still shouldn’t have to be worried about the costs.  Most wine country wineries and vineyards have affordable wine tasting rates, which are typically between five and fifteen dollars per person.  As for taking a guided wine tour, you will likely be charged a fee, but your fee may include wine tasting at a number of wineries along the way.

Perhaps, the greatest reason why you should take a wine country tour is that it is an experience that you will never forget.  Not only are wine tours fun for wine drinkers, but they are also enlightening and educational in nature.

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Beginning WINE Tasting

Wine really does deserve some serious attention if you ask me, it’s a lot more than just a drink. It is for this reason that I find it very strange that there is no defined tasting procedure which has a universal acceptance. It is common that the majority of wine tasters follow their own set out plan when tasting and this will vary from person to person. Most of these steps, whilst having their place in the vineyards would be frowned upon at the dining table, they involve a set of steps which to the layperson would appear quite ridiculous. The difference can be akin to that of a persons preference to a particular style or genre of music. 

A demonstration of smelling the aromas and bouquet of wine in the glass as part of wine tasting 

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The world of critical wine tasting is a comparison between a real standard and the wine in question, drinking wine with a meal is greatly different to this and the wine is undoubtedly intended as an accompaniment to the meal and as a “refreshment”. Although there is no doubting the eccentric activities of a wine taster at a dinner party are perhaps not required it is worth admiring and appreciating the great talent and concentration that goes into the true appreciation of wine. From an outsiders view, these strange and sometimes occult like tastings may seem a little over complicated but with a true desire and ability to focus ones attention it is quickly possible to begin to understand and appreciate wine in a more full sense. For the basics of wine tasting we are undoubtedly in debt to the likes of Clarke and Goulden.

Where possible it is advised that you should rinse your mouth clean before tasting a wine, but obviously in a dinner party setting this is not always possible nor desired. I would however, recommend that the beginner use this method, it clears the palette and allows the wine taster to become more familiar with the basic characteristics of the wine being tasted (if in doubt, borrow from the experts!). A more experienced taster will more quickly be able to get the basic qualities of a wine and will often omit this step. Many consider that rinsing with water in this way detracts from the wine and affects palette because the water alters the sensitivity of the tongue and therefore adds a further complication in the whole process. During a long session of tasting it is quite possible that the mouth can become fatigued and therefore this instance lends itself to a revitalization with water.

Wines are best tasted in tulip shaped glasses, with the exception being sparkling wines which require a fluted glass (the elongated type you often see unused in display cabinets!). These style of glasses enhance the sparkling wines natural effervescence. If you don’t have the correct glasses (or enough if you’re having friends round) you can always loan them from a friend. It is important when comparing wines that each glass is filled to the same level (about a third full is the normal) this allows the taster to hold the glass at a steep angle to allow for a nice observation of the colour and clarity but also allows for a nice vigorous swirl of the wine which in turn releases the aromatics in the wine. At dinner party’s it’s also a useful tool when showing off, but beware there is always someone at the party who knows more about wine than you, so credit your fellow guests with some intelligence!

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An Ideal Way To Taste Lots Of WINES

There is no better way to get to know a variety of wine than going to a wine tasting. It is a unique opportunity to taste wines, have an expert guide you through the tasting, give them points according to your own tastes, and then, by the end of the evening, have a great idea of the type of wine that is your favourite. 

Wine-tasting
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you are at a wine tasting, you taste the wine with a group of people, sometimes familiar people, sometimes strangers, making it a great opportunity to get ideas from others. Other people will have tried different bottles of wine to you previously and will be happy to share their views on which wine goes with which type of food and how to keep wine at its best once the bottle has been opened.

Wine tastings happen regularly across the country and beyond. They are usually held in interesting locations in city centres, such as art galleries, museums, or other heritage buildings. They often have producers of wine in attendance as well as experts, to guide you through the evening and offer advice if needed.

In addition to wine on offer, canapés or hors d’oevres are often served as well, making for a great night out, discovering new tastes and hopefully finding a new wine to fall in love with.

Not only are wine tastings a great way to get to know a new wine, it is also a fantastic way to meet fellow wine lovers and who knows, by the end evening, you could have made a new friend or two.

Most wine tastings only last for a couple of hours – any longer and you would have forgotten the first wine that you have tried. It is a good idea to make sure you don’t drink too much too quickly, as you will be mixing different types of wine, and you don’t want to end up buying something you didn’t really like, or having a splitting headache in the morning.

Wine tastings are held all over the country, from Bristol to Durham, at Lancaster to Salisbury.

There is bound to be one close to you. In addition to wine tastings, some companies hold wine dinners, where you get to taste wine in conjunction with indulging in a great meal.

Wine tastings come in a couple of different formats. There is a more formal, intimate set-up, which could feature fine wines and more information on a smaller number of wines. There is also the less formal setting where you walk around tasting a larger variety of wines, but this lacks the intimacy and the expertise of the more formal gathering.

If you are interested in wine tastings, why not check out an independent online retailer where you will find more information on this service.

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