Agree with Merrill 100%. These are businesses. Producing the wine, opening the wine, paying employees to pour the wine, cleaning and replacing glasses, keeping the tasting room illuminated and air conditioned…all these have costs.
Now, if I am the main imbiber and my companion just wants a sip or two from my glass, I don’t have a problem with that, but if you are asking for separate pours in separate glasses, you are asking for service for two, and should pay accordingly.
Taking the trip to Napa, paying travel costs, Napa lodging, Napa dining, then trying to skimp on tasting fees? Makes no sense. Spit (like the pros do) and enjoy yourself. Or hire a driver (not at all uncommon).
Interesting thought. I think every winery I’ve been to in the past has the ‘fee waived’ info on the tasting card when you get there. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere that prohibited splitting a tasting. But, then, in recent years we’ve mostly been to Sonoma, Central Coast and places like Livermore and Lodi. Haven’t been to Napa in 10 years.
Myself and a couple went to an upscale Napa winery about a month ago—they shared their tasting while I had my own. The hostess didn’t say anything but I noticed a subtle shift in facial expression and body language when the couple said they were sharing.
I don’t think it negatively impacted our experience. YMMV.
I fully get the “it’s a business” position. I expect I’ll ask if splitting is OK whenever I make a reservation somewhere in the future rather than put the staff in the uncomfortable position of an awkward situation. But now some wineries use online reservation systems. If they don’t state a policy regarding this, are you suggesting making a reservation for one even if there are two of you? Workable in a standing bar situation, but maybe not in a seated private atmosphere.
What’s a simple, workable plan? Just don’t go if you want to split but can’t figure it out ahead? I’m assuming here that the business element is really the same at a $100 Napa sit down and at a $10 tasting in the Sierra Foothills.
Yes, just don’t go. I am one of the last to not charge for sit down tastings (no food or blending experiences or the like). I do count on well-referred tasters who generally spend $500/couple and upwards for wine. Don’t really like the wine that much? Purchase it anyway. Plenty of people like it, and you can gift it.
Merrill, I totally get that you/I are looking at this from two different perspectives (winery/customer)…but are you actually saying that after paying for a tasting, one should be obligated to purchase bottles of said wine, even if they don’t like it???
Just because the policy isn’t spelled out on the website doesn’t mean you can’t get an answer in advance. A simple phone call will almost certainly get you an answer. I find the same all the time regarding corkage at restaurants. Very few restaurants in my area state their corkage policy on their website. I’m fact, I can’t think of one that does. But a quick phone call always gets me the answer, at which point I can make my own decision about what I want to do. Seems fairly straightforward.
I wholeheartedly agreed with your first post about business being business.
But you lost me on the follow up. Unless you are upfront about tastings requiring purchases that puts the consumer in a weird situation. How much do you have to buy? What if I truly don’t like the wines? Can I retroactively pay for just my tasting instead of buying bottles? Etc etc.
Of course I don’t know your situation with tastings and if you do them with referrals only, open invites, online bookings, and whatnot. But it just seems weird that you’d offer something for free but expect someone to buy something else. Why not just have people pay for tastings then credit it on purchases if they happen?
And to the other folks who can’t figure out terms of a winery before booking online. Call and talk to a human. People who refuse to have human interaction and then get bent when there is miscommunication is a huge pet peeve of mine. (Mostly aimed at my MIL)
”Read my post again. I don’t charge for tastings. I do expect purchases. No winery can pour $100 bottles of wine for free.”
And I don’t think reasonable people expect them to. I notice that your website says nothing about tastings, so I assume they’re all by special arrangement. In that case I agree that the presumption should be that a purchase is likely required if not only expected. Do you tell people it’s required [Edit: How
MUCH it’s expected] when they call to set up a tasting, or do you believe it should be presumed? I’d think it would be awkward if not stated in advance, even under your special circumstances.
When our son turned 21 we took him to Napa and one of our tastings was on Willinda and Peter McCrae’s patio at Stony Hill, after having called a few weeks ahead and checking back that afternoon because traffic had made us a little bit late. Willinda served wine she brought down from the house on a tray with some cheese and crackers. We bought wine that day and for many years after that. It was a truly memorable experience. They had no real tasting area and I honestly can’t recall if there was a fee, waived or not. But that was a long time ago.
No, it’s not literally the opposite. She did say to purchase bottles, even if they don’t like it. The only overlooked detail was that the tasting is free. Well, “free.” Ha.
The opposite, as I said.
To spell it out for some of y’all, she said that she does NOT charge for tasting. The response was asking if someone who has already paid for a tasting should feel obligated to buy wine.
Utter incongruity.
Agree. There is nothing wrong with asking in advance. The winery can then say yes or no, and then it is back to you to decide whether to make the reservation(s) or not. Easy.
