Choosing the Best Time to Tour a Winery
When to Visit Wineries for the Top Wine Touring Experiences
Mar 7, 2009
Touring a winery is the perfect opportunity to sample limited vintages, meet the winemaker, and gain an appreciation of a region’s wine. The top wine touring experiences are a result of planning a winery visit that is entertaining for some, educational for others and memorable for everyone.
Weekend and Peak Season Winery Tours
Weekends are generally the busiest time to tour a winery, since many visitors make a weekend out of a particular region or wine country. Many wineries may have complimentary wine tastings for their popular mainstream bottles. But more expensive vintages may come with an additional tasting fee. In addition, peak season tours may also include regular tours of the vineyard.
Best Time to Tour a Winery Can be Morning, Weekday or Off Season
If you still plan to visit on a Saturday or Sunday, consider a morning tour instead of an afternoon one. Although not everyone is very keen to taste Merlot at 10 a.m., tasting rooms are less crowded at this time. Furthermore, experienced tasters know that their palates are best in the morning. On the other hand, a weekday tour or off season visit may offer a more intimate and attentive experience with an opportunity to ask more questions and sample additional vintages. In these cases, it is recommended to call ahead.
Coordinate a Winery Tour with a Wine Festival
Many wine festivals are combined with the harvest. For example, in British Columbia, the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival is held in October. Visitors can experience vineyard tours and numerous food and wine events throughout Okanagan Wine Country. On the other hand the Niagara Wine Festival is held in September featuring street parades, wine seminars, and concerts. Unfortunately, during wine festivals, the wineries are usually very busy.
How to Meet the Winemaker
Vintners are passionate about their winemaking skills, and are keen to talk about the process and taste. Find out from these professionals what separates their wine from competitors in the region. What is the difference in taste between one winery’s merlot versus the merlot at the winery one mile away? Also get them talking about food pairing. But during harvest time (August to October), the vintner will be too busy making wine to tour guests around the winery (although other staff are present). To be sure that the winemaker will be available to answer questions, phone ahead and book a tour.
When is New Wine Released?
Before arriving at a winery, visitors should be knowledgeable when it comes to the winery’s popular wines, rare vintages and wine release dates. Coordinating a visit with when a particular wine will be launched is great for wine lovers to have first time bragging rights for tasting a new vintage. To get educated, check the winery websites or general wine websites like winerelease.com. In addition, call ahead of time to ensure that the bottles that are of interest will be available for sampling during expected visit.
Visitors to wineries wishing to purchase wine should follow a few extra guidelines. Bring a cooler so purchases won’t cook in the trunk of a car. Keep in mind that most wineries will ship to most everywhere. And, when possible get the vintner to sign any souvenir bottles purchased.
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