Appropriate/stylish dress for women at a tasting?

[Ian_P]

My wife is coming with me to Napa next week and she is killing me on “What should I wear?” I have no idea what is “appropriate”. Any women here with suggestions? Line-up is: Kapcsandy, Founders Room (Harlan/Bond), Pott, Buoncristiani, Myriad, Robert Foley, ect…

Thank you so much for the help!!!

[maureen_nelson]

whatever she’ll be comfortable in in light of the weather and the potential that you might be either standing around a bunch or tramping through the vineyards. This is not a dressy place. Key is comfort - and no scent!

[Ian_P]

@maureen nelson

whatever she’ll be comfortable in in light of the weather and the potential that you might be either standing around a bunch or tramping through the vineyards. This is not a dressy place. Key is comfort - and no scent!

That is a terrific summary of what I told her. She just rolled her eyes at me. I am sure it will go over better coming from a lady. Thank you!!

[JKim]

@maureen nelson

and no scent!

This part is the most important.

[CFu]

@Ian P.

@maureen nelson

whatever she’ll be comfortable in in light of the weather and the potential that you might be either standing around a bunch or tramping through the vineyards. This is not a dressy place. Key is comfort - and no scent!

That is a terrific summary of what I told her. She just rolled her eyes at me. I am sure it will go over better coming from a lady. Thank you!!

from women far more stylish than I and what they wear to napa

casual dresses, big ass floppy hats. (I put the big ass myself). Almost like a more casual day at the races I guess.

[ToddFrench]

@Charlie Fu

@Ian P.

@maureen nelson

whatever she’ll be comfortable in in light of the weather and the potential that you might be either standing around a bunch or tramping through the vineyards. This is not a dressy place. Key is comfort - and no scent!

That is a terrific summary of what I told her. She just rolled her eyes at me. I am sure it will go over better coming from a lady. Thank you!!

from women far more stylish than I and what they wear to napa

casual dresses, big ass floppy hats. (I put the big ass myself). Almost like a more casual day at the races I guess.

Or, wear what Charlie wears:

casual Polo slippers, big ass floppy basketball shorts, purple tank top.

[Neal.Mollen]

@Charlie Fu

I put the big ass myself

Where?

[W_Leonard]

Or, wear what Charlie wears:

casual Polo slippers, big ass floppy basketball shorts, purple tank top.

Don’t forget what he rocks in the winter

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@Todd F r e n c h

@Charlie Fu

@maureen nelson

whatever she’ll be comfortable in in light of the weather and the potential that you might be either standing around a bunch or tramping through the vineyards. This is not a dressy place. Key is comfort - and no scent!

from women far more stylish than I and what they wear to napa

casual dresses, big ass floppy hats. (I put the big ass myself). Almost like a more casual day at the races I guess.

Or, wear what Charlie wears:

casual Polo slippers, big ass floppy basketball shorts, purple tank top.

[Linda_Baehr]

It always cracks me up when I see what women are wearing at the outdoor tasting events I pour at. Afternoon. On an uneven grassy surface. Dresses that would only look appropriate at night in a club. Impossibly high heels.
At least we get to take bets on who will get drunk and take the first spill.

[Victor_Hong]

In the sailing crowd, you can always tell who is a new girlfriend. She is the one at the post-race party who
just had assembled a new cruise-wear outfit at Saks Fifth Avenue for the occasion, consisting of a Ralph
Lauren navy-themed dress, high-heel shoes (black soles, no less), and enough jewelry to function as Coast
Guard-approved radar reflectors.
Meanwhile, everyone else—including the new boyfriend----is in khaki shorts or bib overalls, a T-shirt, and
five hours worth of sweat, sunscreen, seawater, and blood.

[Randy_Bowman]

C A S U A L and C O M F O R T A B L E. Blue jeans and Merrill’s sports shoes or sandals and a “classy” blouse is nearly overdressed.

And just in case anybody missed “NO SCENT,” that means no perfume, no cologne and no aftershave. Deodorant is okay in moderation and where necessary.

PS. The line up is solid. If you buy too much, bring it by the store and we’ll ship it home for you at the Berserker’s special price.

[Bob_Wood]

I had a date - STFU, Leenda - who, despite my pleading that appropriate attire for barrel tasting in a cold cellar over Thanksgiving weekend here in Ore-ee-gone would be jeans, socks, boots or clogs, a sweater and a parka, decided she HAD to wear open-toed black patent leather pumps and some ridiculous fluffy jacket that looked like an effing Holstein. WTF?

At least she obeyed the ban on fragrance.

And Ian . . . just don’t let her wear white.

[Ken_V]

@Bob Wood

I had a date - STFU, Leenda - who, despite my pleading that appropriate attire for barrel tasting in a cold cellar over Thanksgiving weekend here in Ore-ee-gone would be jeans, socks, boots or clogs, a sweater and a parka, decided she HAD to wear open-toed black patent leather pumps and some ridiculous fluffy jacket that looked like an effing Holstein. WTF?

Without further information, Leenda and I will not rule out the possibility that your date was a Holstein.


But at least you picked a nice Jewish girl.

[Stephanie_L]

Other than the no scent part (which is indeed the most important thing to consider), this whole string both cracks me up and worries me at the same time. Sorry, not meaning any disrespect for anyone so self-conscious, and I totally feel for someone who is uncertain due to the proliferation of this hoity-toity idea of wine in our country. Think about it: someone’s worried about what to wear with one of the USA’s most democratized products (aka anyone can make it, everyone has access to it) at a tasting/winery visit. OK, it’s Napa, the “shrine” of all US wine, and it is fun to dress up, but c’mon! IMHO, this is part of the trouble of the wine industry: the perpetuation of wine as some hoity-toity affair akin to having tea with HRM the Queen, and I’m guessing she WILL be at those wineries listed, and that’s really the root of all this?! First of all, why does the industry perpetuate this hoity-toity, inner-circle notion, and second, why do people continue to support it, instead of simply going out to enjoy wine for wine, AS THEMSELVES versus some false ideal of the industry? Who needs that BS? After this small exemplary string and Boorstin’s painful, eye-opening book (The Americans: The Democratic Experience), and seeing things first hand after having been dragged into the wine industry, and how it itself perpetuates the BS, my little pea brain has come to the conclusion, there’s very little room for individuals–except for Charlie Fu, it seems(!)-- and that’s how the industry wants to keep it. So you better dress the part or else you will be scorned as simply looky-loos versus serious drinkers, and your pours will be shorter than the rest, if you’re not dressed appropriately. (Sorry if I may seem a little scattered: no coffee yet this AM because I’m giving blood in a few hours – we are in a national shortage, you know.)

[Rick_Gregory]

Stephanie,

I don’t see the wine industry doing any of the things you outline. No one in Napa will give a crap how someone shows up dressed at a tasting.

I might as well rant at the culture that produces women who are so obsessed with fashion and cloths - after all, it’s not Ian wondering how to dress… it’s his wife.

[Linda_Baehr]

@Ken V

@Bob Wood

I had a date - STFU, Leenda - who, despite my pleading that appropriate attire for barrel tasting in a cold cellar over Thanksgiving weekend here in Ore-ee-gone would be jeans, socks, boots or clogs, a sweater and a parka, decided she HAD to wear open-toed black patent leather pumps and some ridiculous fluffy jacket that looked like an effing Holstein. WTF?

Without further information, Leenda and I will not rule out the possibility that your date was a Holstein.


But at least you picked a nice Jewish girl.

You know what he’s going to call you now, don’t you?

[CFu]

@Todd F r e n c h

@Charlie Fu

@Ian P.

That is a terrific summary of what I told her. She just rolled her eyes at me. I am sure it will go over better coming from a lady. Thank you!!

from women far more stylish than I and what they wear to napa

casual dresses, big ass floppy hats. (I put the big ass myself). Almost like a more casual day at the races I guess.

Or, wear what Charlie wears:

casual Polo slippers, big ass floppy basketball shorts, purple tank top.

hey man I returned that purple ribbed tank to you already.

[Bruce_Leiser_owitz]

@Stephanie L

Other than the no scent part (which is indeed the most important thing to consider), this whole string both cracks me up and worries me at the same time. Sorry, not meaning any disrespect for anyone so self-conscious, and I totally feel for someone who is uncertain due to the proliferation of this hoity-toity idea of wine in our country. Think about it: someone’s worried about what to wear with one of the USA’s most democratized products (aka anyone can make it, everyone has access to it) at a tasting/winery visit. OK, it’s Napa, the “shrine” of all US wine, and it is fun to dress up, but c’mon! IMHO, this is part of the trouble of the wine industry: the perpetuation of wine as some hoity-toity affair akin to having tea with HRM the Queen, and I’m guessing she WILL be at those wineries listed, and that’s really the root of all this?! First of all, why does the industry perpetuate this hoity-toity, inner-circle notion, and second, why do people continue to support it, instead of simply going out to enjoy wine for wine, AS THEMSELVES versus some false ideal of the industry? Who needs that BS? After this small exemplary string and Boorstin’s painful, eye-opening book (The Americans: The Democratic Experience), and seeing things first hand after having been dragged into the wine industry, and how it itself perpetuates the BS, my little pea brain has come to the conclusion, there’s very little room for individuals–except for Charlie Fu, it seems(!)-- and that’s how the industry wants to keep it. So you better dress the part or else you will be scorned as simply looky-loos versus serious drinkers, and your pours will be shorter than the rest, if you’re not dressed appropriately. (Sorry if I may seem a little scattered: no coffee yet this AM because I’m giving blood in a few hours – we are in a national shortage, you know.)

Wow, that’s an impressive rant, even without coffee. As an aside, what does giving blood have to do with coffee? I give blood and there’s no restriction on coffee in the morning…

Anyway, in my experience women tend to ask about proper dress code for many/most social events. Unlike a lot of men, who don’t give a crap what they wear, women are more likely to fret that they are underdressed or overdressed for a given event or occasion, so the question makes total sense to me. It really has nothing per se to do with the wine industry.

As for the OP, I agree–no perfume or scent at all, and dress comfortably/casually. Especially wear comfortable shoes!

Bruce

[Nathan_Smyth]

Judging from the replies on this thread, I’d say: Consider yourself very, very lucky that you’re dating a chick who even gives a damn in the first place.