Absolutely agree.
no problem with $25
I also clicked on the $25+ option. Like others, I am not going to walk out of that tasting room without buying, probably, multiple bottles. However, more often than not, my wife and I like to split a taste. We’ve never been turned down when we asked for that.
I’ve never visited six wineries in a day. Even spitting, it wouldn’t take very long before my palate was dead. These days we’ll usually do no more than two–one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I’m such a pansy.
$25 for a tasting fee that’s refunded with any purchase.
I will gladly pay $25 if the fee is applied to purchase.
And I will always purchase if there are no restrictions or stipulations (LARKMEAD)
Std pour is usually 3/4 to 1 oz. btw
I waffled between $15 and $20, and ultimately chose $20 b/c I almost always can find at least one bottle to buy.
I hate pours this small — it’s nearly impossible for me to get a decent read on a wine if the pour is less than ~2oz.
…
also, please have spit buckets available.
when i visited Brewer-Clifton I paid for two tastings (maybe $30 in total) and afterward decided to buy about $500 worth of wine. they still charged me for the tasting. left a bit peeved.
I would pay anywhere from $0 to $100 depending on what we were tasting…somewines, they would have to pay me to try. Am I ok with tasting rooms that charge - is that the real question here? Yes - in a capitalist society, anyone can charge whatever they want as long as they are not colluding on price and availability.
I paid 50 for a tasting in Calistoga, can anyone guess where?
What he said.
I think the fee should be directly proportional to the size of the vehicle you arrive in. If it is a crowd of people in an obnoxious faux limo, no fee is high enough.
If the fee is refunded with a reasonable purchase, I have zero objections to $25 or more.
Having done most of my tasting in France, I would be very surprised to pay for any tasting. I don’t even recall being charged in Napa - though I have not been there for ten years. I guess I would simply avoid any place where a bus might pull up.
Um, because wine is not free to produce, tasting room rent is not gratis, the utilities cost money, the person pouring is being paid. If the person(s) drinking are not buying then they should pay a fee to taste. If for nothing else than to help keep the tasting room viable.
I chose $15.
Disclaimer: Paul has never charged me to taste although I always leave with a bottle or two.
MANY, MANY years ago, I was looking for a winery, and could not find it. We stopped at a winery, and a rustic Italian guy, a Mr. Rafanelli told us that he made good wines, and had sold the land to the guy we were looking for. We thanked him and pushed on. Later, finding out who he was, we went back. He told us he did not have a tasting room license, but would share some wine with friends. He and we tasted his wines, and we bought a case of his Gamay. He pounded the cork into the bottle we had tasted from, and insisted we take it for “lunch”.
He did this in most of our tastings over the years, and we bought his wines by the case over the years, even after he opened a public tasting room. When he died, and things changed, we realized an era was over. Dave is nice, but represents the new Sonoma County, which is not a bad thing, but a sad thing, with the big tasting room fees and the lack of that real personal touch. I guess success has its price. Still, I remember fondly the old days.
thanks, Arthur, I like the way that resonates; the good outweighing the bad, if you will
Larkmead?
Aubert.
Paul, I think $10-$15 puts you in the ballpark for a walk-in tasting, $25 for a special/reserve tasting. This is just a gut feel for how I think I’d react. Of course as Berserkers we prefer a more personal experience, but these fees are to cover the wine tourist who is just out tasting, often without the intention to buy.
Personally I like the fees, since it frees me of any feeling of obligation, and refunding with purchase just says that your customers aren’t charged a fee, which is generous.
Nice story, Arthur. Some of my best memories are of places that never charged fees, but that I had called in advance to let them know I was coming. I have had some great visits and memories.