Do's and Don'ts for Vigneron Visits in Burgundy

WINE TALK
21

I completely agree. At most small domains, you are visiting with the owner of the winery or the winemaker, which often is the same person. He is taking time from being in the vines or some other important work and the very least one can do is honor that by being on time and not wasting his time.

Also, you are often visiting a person’s home or something very similar. Act like it. Say hello when you enter (or bonjeur). Thank them many times. Act like he is doing you a favor to see you, not like you are doing him or her a favor by showing up.

Compliment the wines - often. Discuss how much you have liked their wines - be specific if possible.

22

Ask questions that seek out why they do what they do. Show that you know and appreciate their wines. Get them to talk about their theories, preferences, etc. Vignerons are like any other people who create things in that they like to see what they have created evoke intelligent appreciation. I have found that, by talking to them about why they do what they do, I have frequently been given much more extensive tastings and visits than were originally planned.

23

Also listen take their lead. I’ve met many who would rather talk about the markets, travel, current affairs over have the same conversation they already had five times that week about pruning techniques.

24

my preferred presents for vignerons/Winzer once upon a time were Maker’s Mark or maple syrup.

25

Many do like to talk about other things. But I’ve never met a one who wasn’t interested in talking about how they do what they do and why they make the decisions they make. Of course, if all you ask is what is the elevage and straightforward stuff like that, they can rehearse their boilerplate answers. But if you ask them how they deal with x climate conditions in the vintages you are drinking, tell them what that was unexpected has happened to you with aged versions of their wine and ask them if they thought that was typical and why (on the order of closing and opening patterns our its aging longer than you were led to believe it would, not on the order of why all their whites are premoxed), and seek out what they think about how they make their wines and winemaking in general, I have always found them to respond eagerly.

26

I just got back. Really an awful year for the winegrowers. Not many sunny days to this point so they need those days to work in the vineyards. Expect early morning or late day appointments. I had appointments as early as 9:00 am and as late as 6:00 pm.

27

Don’t bring up controversial subjects like premox, let them bring it up if they want to talk about it.

If it seems like you and your friend have run out of interesting questions and it’s kind of quiet, just start asking about vintages. Burgundians love to talk about vintages. You could even ask a silly question like, “How does daylight savings time affect the vines?” At least it will make the vigneron laugh, then they’ll realize you’re not a stuffed shirt wine snob.

I wouldn’t worry too much about bringing a gift of wine. Hardly anyone gives gifts, even though it’s a great surprise for the vigneron. I’ve done it on every trip I’ve made to Burgundy, but it sure is rough schlepping a case from the car to check in, and then from baggage claim in Paris to wherever I’m staying. If you’re taking a train from Paris to Dijon or Beaune, that extra piece of luggage, if it’s a case of wine, is no fun. And finally, the rental cars I get are usually so cramped for space, having an extra case shipper on top of all the luggage makes for very cramped quarters.

Have a fun trip!!

28

Don’t go in and regurgitate points from critics when tasting. If you sit there and tell your tasting companions that this wine is better than the previously poured one because Meadows gave it a 92 and the preceding wine only received an 89 your host will most likely be unimpressed.

And as mentioned above do some research on the producer in advance if you’re unaware of them so you can speak with a little knowledge about their wines, vineyards, and operations in general. If you’ve had their wines before it’s always good to reminisce about their wines you’ve had previously that impressed you. Showing a little enthusiasm and knowledge is a great way to impress on your host that you’re both keen and serious and that could possibly set you up for a longer tasting with more serious wines.

29

Yes, familiarity and knowledge about the estate are key. Genuine enthusiasm is helpful, too.

I used to take gifts (maple syrup, zins, pa wines), but, frankly, I don’t think they were worth the effort in most cases. The people weren’t that curious…and look at receiving people as a big part of their job and familial/traditional obligation. They are happy, in most cases, to show you what they have and make and to attempt to make new fans.

I do think it is polite to ask to buy a bottle of two at the end. That is a genuine compliment. Not necessarily of their best stuff. Even if you don’t want to lug it home, you can give it to people in France or enjoy it yourself, etc.

And, I’ve never been bashful about asking to “buy” the rest of an older bottle they’ve opened for me. They never charge and are usually pretty happy you want it. (Of course, their opening an older bottle is not the norm, but a nice gesture on their part.)

And, don’t overestimate their knowledge, curiosity, interest in wine. Most of them I’ve met are not even winelovers. They rarely, I think, even taste older bottles of what their domaines make.

Enjoy the experience.

30

Be on time.

Learn a few words of French. It’s amazing how many people actually speak some English once you’ve initiated the conversation in their language.

Hold the glass by the stem, and don’t break it!

Spit. Seriously. Follow the lead as to how and where, if not, ask before your mouth is full. Only drink the sample from the last couple of bottles/barrels, usually with the quip “there’s no way I’m spitting that”.

Same for the leftovers. It rarely goes down the drain in Burgundy, usually either all mixed in a jar, or straight back into the barrel (some people prefer to do it themselves rather than let you do it, if you’re not comfortable with doing it just pour it back into the person’s glass).

I don’t think gifts are mandatory, but if you do bring something that is not widely available in Burgundy (or wherever you’re tasting). Also contrary to popular belief I’ve observed that a lot of owners have varied tastes and the cellar to match. So my experience directly contradicts Stuart’s here: at most of the top domaines I have visited the owners (and often employees) are winelovers and have a huge network of friends and acquaintances in other regions. A lot of them learned their trade in Alsace, the Rhône or Italy…

Do your homework. Have at least a vague idea of who you’re visiting, what they’re doing, what’s usual for the area (so yeah asking about the grape variety isn’t such a good idea, unless you like to be the butt of their next joke).

Re: questions, either ask pertinent questions about what they’re doing specifically (if you have the knowledge, e.g. comparing terroirs or winemaking techniques), or branch out to something else entirely (food and restaurants tend to be a great topic). Share an anecdote of some great time you’ve had with one of their bottles.

If you want to buy a few bottles, ask nicely, directly, and roll with the answer.

31

Warning, thread drift.

I save those for when they complain about [political discussion deleted]. And yes, I did deliver the first of those lines (it was my father, not grandfather) to a bunch of French lawyers while standing in a hotel lobby in Berlin in response to their making fun of Americans. The result was a young Danish lawyer saying “yes, and let me shake your hand for it, my grandmother was in the resistance and her leg was paralyzed when a bomb she was transporting to blow up a troop train exploded prematurely.” We had a wonderful discussion and I learned a lot, so sometimes even that line will generate great conversation.

Not that I would deliver it to a vigneron in burgundy.

32

The schlepping of wine gifts—that’s why I did icewines on my first trip, they take up less space—and the vignerons did seem to appreciate them.

Now I just bring some of my compositional music CDs. But I do like bringing something personal—because they are giving me some of their precious personal time themselves.

I’ve visited twice, and am looking so forward to my third next year. Above all, let your enthusiasm and genuine interest shine through. You will almost always find a receptive audience. And…don’t expect the “same” experience at every place. In fact, expect a different experience at every place—and rejoice in it. When I think about it, nowhere is the individuality of Burgundy more purely represented than in my visits with different winemakers. It added immeasurably to my two trips. And I can’t remember a single even remotely bad visit.

I hadn’t thought about offering to buy the rest of the older bottle that they open, Stuart–that’s a good thought that I will keep in mind as a possibility—so long as they don’t want to finish the rest of it themselves or have other people they want to sample it on that day.

Do be earlier than on time—Mike is right about getting lost even with GPS.

Have fun!

Mike

33

be enthusiastic and it’ll be returned in kind!

34

As a wine tour guide in Burgundy, there has been some great advice given out here, the only thing I would add, apart from reiterating, “Be on time” is that barrel tasting is not the norm for the average visit. What is the norm is tasting from bottles from the last couple of vintages, so generally wine that is not ready to drink.

35

That is really interesting. You have a lot more experience I am sure than I do, but I have tasted a lot of barrel samples during my visits in Burgundy from producers as big as Jadot and Bouchard to small producers like Cecile Tremblay and others.

36

Pack some food and lots of water. This is helpful when 1hr appt can sometimes turn into 3hr appt and no place is open for you to find food. I always buy extra extra non-sugar pastries and at least 3 bottles of water every day. You dont want the sugar killing your taste buds.

Try not to do more than 2appts. You will have some driving to do and $hit can always happen and potentially cause delays.

Basic french and politeness goes a long way.

Punctuality is essential and it is not just for France. I recommend showing up at least 15mins early so you are not in hurry and sometimes it helps to find a bathroom. Also, study your google maps and get oriented. GPS is great but knowing where you are going I find helpful.

37

I almost didn’t make it past my honeymoon in 1983, as there was was then no GPS and , though my wife had lived in France and spoke French fluently (actually superbly) , we got lost at every turn in Alsace and Burgundy. I wasn’t happy. Later, of course, I realized that I was asking the impossible of her. And, at least at that time, not many estates made it clear (like with a sign or nameplate) what they were.

38

This is all good advice, and I bolded the part about not over-scheduling the number of appointments to make per day. I used to get away with 3 per day, 1 before lunch and 2 after, but no more than that. I know a wine writer who can do 8 appointments in a day. He must be very organized, and the vignerons all know him.

And one more piece of advice, regarding scheduling appointments right after lunch. You’re going to be having a wonderful time over there, enjoying the vignerons, the wines and the restaurants too. When I first started going to Burgundy, I’d make lunch reservations for 12:30, and I’d also make the first winery appointment after lunch at 2:00 (14.00!). That was a big mistake. Lunches last so much longer over there than here, as they should. Give yourself 2.5 hours for lunch. Also, I’ve found it’s easier to get late appointments in Burgundy than it is in the US, like 5 or 6PM, so that helps adding the 2nd visit in the afternoon.

39

Here are some mistakes I have made:
1/Telling a grower in Meursault with a history of premox that I enjoyed his Meursault Nouveau
2/Telling a guy with soil samples in a vitrine in the foyer that terroir was just Unique Sales Proposition
3/Telling some people at a Paulee that the LA La song was really just the theme from Jeopardy
4/Asking a negociant where the tanker trucks from the Midi parked
5/Asking the same negociant if he preferred blending in grenache or cinsault and had he considered charbono
6/telling that negociant I thought the 35 hour work week was wonderful and that maybe six weeks of paid vacation was a good idea…

40

So the big takeaway is “don’t do what Mel did.”

Yikes!

But really, you can boil the advice down to a few essential points - be considerate, be courteous, be interested, be real.

Clearly the more you know about anything, the more sophisticated your conversation can be, but genuine interest, even from a complete naif, is almost always appreciated. And if you make a real faux pas, they’ll have stories to tell in the future.

Again, don’t over-think it, and have a great time!