Bordeaux Tasting Etiquette (postscript)

WINE TALK
1

I posed a question last month about spitting vs. drinking at Bordeaux estates, and thought that I would report on my experience for people who may be visiting for the first time.

We were at eight châteaux, including two first growths, two super-seconds, and two super-fifths. While the spittoons were there nowhere did spitting seem compulsory – at one property the person leading the tour drank when we were tasting the wines. On the other hand, the pours were generous and the vintages young – in one case a bottle of the 2013 had been prepared – so that no one would want to drink all the wine. The advice I got to practice spitting was good, not so much for social but for practical reasons.

One footnote. I had the idea that an unspoken dress code was still preserved at these properties. My brother-in-law and I wore sport coats, but the only other person we encountered wearing one was a fellow American. Other visitors looked as if they might have come straight from the beach, and no one seemed to care.

Thanks again to posters who helped me know what to expect.

David Kubiak

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Next step…Fanny Packs [wink.gif]

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Good for you, dressing like adults. I am not a fan of dressing up – coats and ties – but it is really offensive to see tourists (my fellow countrymen) dressing like they were buying sod at Home Depot in cathedrals and such. Have some pride for god’s sake

4

+1

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Hi,

Yes, I agree about the dress code: smart casual makes it everywhere unless, in certain instances, when you are invited to lunch or dinner at the château.

I wouldn’t say that shorts are necessarily frowned upon, but it brands you as a foreigner on vacation and I think is best avoided.
However, Bordeaux has loosened up a lot over the past few years, and things are not as formal.

I look forward to reading about your expériences at the various châteaux.

Best regards,
Alex