Family Friendly Tasting Rooms: thoughts?

A group of local tasting room managers from around the Willamette Valley gets together every couple of months or so, and a recent discussion was about the impact of making tasting rooms family friendly. Obviously there are both negatives and positives associated with inviting families, and there was some pretty good discussion on both sides of the coin. I thought I’d toss this out there as a topic to see what thoughts folks here might have.

Please, feel free to be direct and honest. I can tell from reading the last couple of days that I’m dealing with some pretty shy and retiring folks here, and it may be hard to tease out your real thoughts on the subject.

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As long as the kids are behaved when inside the TR and not ruining the experience for other tasters. I don’t have an issue with it. Some folks also may think an establishment with alcohol is no place for children. I disagree. Hell, little kids act just like drunk adults. Think about it.

Jacki, I love to expose my kids to wine’s many joys. I always encourage them to smell whatever wine we’re having with dinner (and to take a small sip if it appeals to them), and I was overjoyed to discover my 11 yr old daughter deeply engrossed in Karen MacNeill’s Wine Bible.

Now that I’ve established my credibility as a wine-loving mom, I’ll say this: in the name of all that is good and holy, I hope winemakers never make their tasting rooms “family friendly”. Visiting a winery is an adult experience. A winery can’t offer a pre-teen a taste of its wine, so the best it can do is provide some distraction in forms that really have little to do with wine. Every parent I know thinks that he or she has unusually well-behaved children-- it’s like that Garrison Keillor line that in Lake Wobegon, all the children are above average. In reality, of course, they’re not. They would rather be someplace else, and even the better behaved ones will detract from the tasting room’s wine-centric vibe.

My son, who was only about 7 when this all began, made it clear early that wineries were for whining. He’s 16 now and it’s more an issue of me making sure I deadbolt the cellar door. [drinkers.gif]

Seriously, while I don’t like when there is some barrier “No one under 21 cross this line” I don’t see a tasting room as being particularly a good place for one to bring their kids.

I would agree with others who say its not the best idea but many people don’t seem to be aware enough to put aside their own wants in the interests of those around them or for their kids. An analogy for me is those that bring their kids into coffee houses. There is nothing there for kids to do so while the parents are talking they let the kids run around and play bothering everyone else in the place or worse. I’m not saying you have to stay home with your kids but most other people don’t want to play defacto baby sitter for you so you can drink coffee or wine.

All good points, but I’ve witnessed alot of couples purchase alot of wine and they were very thankful and appreciative that they could bring their kids with them instead of staying at home. I don’t think any winery would turn away a sale because of this.

Jacki, considering the OLCC’s regulations, isn’t this discussion a largely intellectual exercise for you and the other WV tasting room people?

I am in the no kids in the tasting room camp. To me what is particularly troubling is seeing people drinking and driving around with their children. Far too few people spit, and unless there is a designated driver, I find that worrisome.

I’m a little conflicted about this concept. I have two daughters (5 & 7 years old) and we like to do things as a family, but I’ve never brought them to a winery. Our 2 trips to Napa/Sonoma we left the kids at my in-laws. So my initial reaction is that kids should not be brought to a winery but if I was confronted with an opportunity to taste great wine and I had my kids with me, I’m not sure I wouldn’t just bring them in with me and put them in the corner with their Nintendo DS. I wouldn’t want them on a wine country trip, though, for the reasons mentioned (too much drinking while driving).

I’m totally in agreement. I allow my teen-agers wine with meals when they want some (they don’t always do), and am happy that they seem to appreciate good wine.

That said, I would not take them tasting with me unless I can see that they have some love and deeper appreciation for wine and actually want to go with me (even then, I will think and decide if they are ready - otherwise, they taste at home). Even loud adults at “serious” tastings bother me to no end (the kinds that just need to let everyone hear what they know or think they know about wine).

We have a swing and a dog, both of which get a lot of exercise. I love kids and babies, and most of our visiting families are conscientious and delightful. I give paw-print stickers and labels out to kids, and I’m always pleased when an entire family enjoys a visit to our winery. But that said, there are some issues regarding ‘family friendly’ that wineries need to think about. If you offer a picnic and play area that is too inviting, you will get the soccer moms bringing their tots with them for playdate lunches in the vineyard–hence you will have the cleanup, the mess in the bathrooms, the parents who help themselves to all your bathroom paper supplies, for very little in the way of sales. I am pretty sure that an equipped playground area is expensive to insure, but even picnic tables and simple child toys are an insurance claim just waiting to happen, as kids are constantly jumping, hopping, bopping, swallowing and if Johnny gets hurt it will be your fault, count on it. Some wineries provide a small book 'n toy nook, but many who have tried it ended up removing it–when one is provided, a surprising number of people just assume that the winery has provided child entertainment, and they can now ignore their kids. I think it’s best to foster an adult, professional atmosphere, but also train your staff to greet children politely, engage them in conversation, and provide some takeaways. Some wineries sell the informative coloring books about vineyards and winemaking. Hope this helps.

Well, children are permitted with their parents, more like a restaurant establishment than a bar. Although, come to think of it, the regs for a tasting bar with by-the-glass sales might be different than those for a tasting room like ours where only 1oz pours are offered.

That said, what spurred the discussion was an idea by someone in the group to sponsor a Family Friendly Weekend, and that’s scheduled to happen on the last weekend in March and about 7 or 8 participating wineries/tasting rooms.

Remind me to stay home that weekend. [dance2.gif]

I’m ambivalent. On one hand, I personally don’t want kids underfoot (or within earshot for that matter) because I’d find it disruptive. I also don’t think winery hopping should be a family-style outing with kids in tow.

OTOH, I can see where a family might want to stop by a winery on the way to, or from, camping or a picnic, etc. However, even in this instance I think one parent ought to stay outside with the kid(s), trading places with the other parent as they see fit. Or better yet, get a sitter for the day. Also, TR behavior can sometimes be serene, but more often than not turns it into a party atmosphere. A parent/grandparent needs to think carefully about impressionable minds.

These are all great thoughts. Some of us have speculated that there is a cultural difference between the US and Europe in terms of how kids are integrated into the wine experience. It does seem, here, that wine tasting is viewed as an adult activity, and whether I see it that way personally or not doesn’t matter if my buying customers do.

I’d love to be family friendly so that those families with well-behaved children feel welcome to try (and ideally buy) my wines. But how off-putting is that to the experience of those who do view tasting as an adult get-away, and who are annoyed by the presence of kids in that environment? And, importantly from a $$ perspective, are these the case buyers?

I have two kids, and they have gone tasting with us (as I went tasting with my folks while I was growing up, though that was in Europe, see previous thought re: cultural differences). Both kids are happy to sit in the corner with their DS, or even watch a movie in the mini-van. So I’m not opposed to kids coming along.

And I’ve been lucky that to date I haven’t ever had a problem with kids in my tasting room, (except for one mentally challenged girl who kept grabbing handfuls of tasting crackers, but that’s a rant for another day), but I would deal with unruly kids the same way I deal with unruly adults. Still, I think potential buyers might see disruptive kids as being more my fault, while if another adult is an ass they place the blame on that adult.

So, what do those of you who are buyers think of kids in the tasting room? Are they fine if well-behaved? Do they send you packing?

To me, this issue makes me think of the “identity crisis” that Las Vegas went through over the last 10 years or so, when all the hotels decided to start catering to families, and create family friendly attractions in order to attract that demographic. And it failed horribly. With all the families in hotels and casinos, the high rollers trying to get away from all that and the younger crowd there to drink and party stayed away from the seriously family oriented hotels (Circus Circus and Excaliber come to mind). Eventually, those that had attractions for all ages started getting rid of them in place of more adult oriented entertainment again. Now-a-days, most hotels have “adult only” pools where you must be 18 and sometimes 21 and over to use (granted most of them are topless, but that’s another story [good.gif]), to allow those without kids to enjoy the pool without all the splashing and screaming.

I know wineries are beautiful places that people want to share with their families, but I don’t think that they are places for kids. As much as we all appreciate the beauty of the tasting rooms and vineyards, the bottom line is that we are there to experience something that the kids aren’t allowed. So I struggle to find the logic in bringing them in the first place.

I think alot of people with kids ARE buyers. I’ve seen them buy more than just the couple in for a wine tasting. Those with kids really want to go to your winery, but they have the kids in tow, so they’re really appreciative and typically purchase. I think out of control kids as well as out of control adults in tasting rooms should be asked to leave. It’s really that simple, and I’ve seen both.


As far as your comment about the Tasting Bars, yes, no one under 21 is allowed here in CA, even if it is a retail store. If they have a tasting bar selling WBTG, they are not allowed inside the store, period. Tasting rooms are different.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but I would be hesitant to turn away a possible buyer and wine club member just because they have their kids with them. They could turn out to be some of your best customers.

Yes, and if they’re not I go postal on the parents.

I think alot of people with kids ARE buyers. I’ve seen them buy more than just the couple in for a wine tasting. Those with kids really want to go to your winery, but they have the kids in tow, so they’re really appreciative and typically purchase.

and

Good luck with whatever you decide, but I would be hesitant to turn away a possible buyer and wine club member just because they have their kids with them. They could turn out to be some of your best customers.

I’m right with you there. I know when we did our tasting it was with an eye toward building up our cellar so we were case buyers, and we always appreciated those wineries and tasting rooms that accommodated us as a family.

I think there’s a line there somewhere, though, between accommodating families who happen to come in, and making a tasting room “Family Friendly” with a purpose, if that makes sense?

Why Bob, that astounds me! I’ve always seen you as such an even-keeled sorta guy. [blink.gif]

The local event is part of the 150 days of Oregon Wines promotion. You can see the list of participating wineries in the schedule of events though WVWA. That way, if you happen to be out that weekend, you can plot your course. Heh.