Choosing a Winery

if you're heading to wine country, odds are you've had wine before. What did you like? What didn't you like? This is usually a good place to start, but keep an open mind! Just because you've had one bad Zin doesn't mean you won't like any. A varietal's taste changes based on an insanely long list of factors. 

Appointments

So you've chosen a winery. Does this winery require a reservation or can you drop in any time? Post-pandemic most wineries in Napa now not only accept but request reservations. Drops in are still accepted at many places but don’t expect to walk in anywhere and taste right away, especially in the summer. Smaller wineries will be appointment-only.

Assume each tasting will take approximately an hour and a half. Add additional time if you think you will want to make a purchase.

Regular v. Reserve

If you don't have a reservation, you'll usually walk into a tasting room and sidle up to the bar; just take any open place. Most likely, there will be a menu detailing their tasting options and pricing. Take a look and see what interests you. While some places will have set flights, others will give you a list of current releases and let you create your own.

Tip: Have a partner in wine? Get one of each and share!

Tour v. Tasting 

Some wineries will offer you a tour of their facility. This can be particularly interesting for beginners so you can get a sense of how the whole process works. Although we are now “seasoned wine tasters” we enjoyed doing tours of the wineries in Italy to see the differences in production from American wineries.