Fifty years ago, winery tasting rooms were rare, and wine tasting was a new concept for most people. Wine was slowly growing in popularity as the Baby Boomers came of age and wanted something to drink other than the cocktails of their parents’ generation.
Let’s look at how wine tasting has evolved over the years and how some tasting rooms are returning to their roots, including offering free tastings.
Growth of Wine Tasting
In 1976, as wineries needed people to find them, the Wine Road was founded to do that task. (See an earlier blog that gives the background on the advent of the Wine Road.) It took a few more years before wine tasting became a popular pastime. Wineries opened tasting rooms to offer samples of various wines to help folks decide what they liked and wanted to buy. Wine consumers learned more about wine and honed their palate preferences. They also discovered favorite wineries they wanted to support.
Surge in Popularity
Wine tasting soon became so popular that tasting room bars were packed, especially on weekends and during peak vacation times. There was also a shift in attitude among some tasters that visiting tasting rooms was about getting a free “buzz.” At this point, the more popular and easy-access wineries started charging tasting fees to help filter the buzz-seekers from the serious wine tasters.
As more wineries charged tasting fees, wineries that didn’t started to wonder if by not charging a tasting fee their wines might be perceived as having less value. By 2020, most wineries were charging a tasting fee.
The Year Everything Changed
In early 2020, the wineries along the Wine Road thought they could weather anything. Their businesses had survived a couple major wildfires, and wine drinkers continued to be supportive. Then the pandemic shutdown happened in March of 2020, which changed so much for the wine industry.
Winery tasting rooms were closed for months. When they were allowed to reopen, it was only by reservation and tastings had to be held outside. Wine lovers started to return to tasting rooms, dutifully making their reservations and paying the tasting fees. Everyone was just so happy to have a normal activity to do again.
As time passed, tasting rooms were allowed to have guests indoors again. Even after reservations were no longer required by the state or county ordinances, many wineries continued to require reservations. Once a spontaneous activity, wine tasting now required advance preparation to make it happen. Many wine lovers stopped visiting Wine Country as often, as now there were too many barriers— including reservations and tasting fees—between them and the activity they once loved.
Wineries Listened
Many wineries realized they needed to reassess their decisions about reservations and tasting fees. Today, most wineries along the Wine Road welcome walk-in tasters. Walk-in tasters might not be able to request one of the high-end tastings or winery experiences, like wine and food pairings, vineyard or cave tours or library tastings, but wineries have other tasting options available to walk-in visitors.
Tasting Fees Revisited
As for tasting fees, there have been some changes with those as well. In an informal survey of several Wine Road wineries, I found most wineries who charge tasting fees (and not all do), refund the tasting fee with a wine purchase. The policies vary from winery to winery, with many of them refunding one tasting fee with one, two or three bottles purchased. If tasting fees are holding you back, either call your favorite wineries to ask about their tasting fee refund policy, or look online for the winery’s tasting policy. One consistent policy among the wineries polled is wine club members always taste at no charge.
Complimentary Sipping
Last year the Wine Road started Sip into the Weekend, listing wineries along the Wine Road that offered complimentary tastings on Thursday and Friday. In January, they relaunched the program and the current list has 30 wineries to select from, with more being added all the time. There are even some wineries who offer complimentary tasting through the weekend and for the most part, no reservations are required. So, tasting fees shouldn’t be the reason you’ve stop enjoying a daytrip or weekend along the Wine Road.
Elevated Experiences
There was a time when no winery offered a place to sit while you tasted their wines and guest tasted at the wine bar. Today, most wineries have seated tastings, while tasting at the bar is no longer an option at some wineries.
Over a decade ago, wineries started to adding enhanced wine tastings, which transitioned into tasting experiences. Some wineries specialize in these experiences, and offer as few as one to as many as a half dozen experience options. Most wine tasting experiences require advanced reservations, and rarely are they complimentary unless you are a wine club member at that winery.
If you’re not familiar with elevated experiences, examples are wine and food pairings, vineyard tours or hikes, cave tours, library wine or high-end wine tastings, or lunch included with your elevated tasting.
If you want more than just to sip wine and find new favorites, then look for wineries that offer these elevated experiences.
An Old School Experience
If you’ve never experienced tasting while standing at a bar, and there is never a thought of tasting fees, you might want to visit Frick Winery. Started the same year as the Wine Road (1976), Frick’s tasting room hasn’t changed much since its inception. The tasting room is open only on weekends, when owner Bill Frick is available to welcome guests. The other days, Bill is working in his 7.77-acre estate vineyard or the cellar.
Bill shared his philosophy on the topic of tasting fees and tasting rooms with me while I was doing research for this blog. To Bill, tasting at Frick isn’t an experience, it’s a buying opportunity.
“I offer what I personally have always wanted when I visit a winery,” said Bill. “For me tasting rooms simply offer an opportunity to sample a wine and receive information before buying. I understand that today not all visitors view tasting the same as I do. I say today because originally folks were not out looking to be entertained and have an experience.
“I still act on the principle that people visit Frick Winery to sample my wines and then buy the ones they want to have and take home. I offer hospitality to visitors and a chance to sample before they buy. No fees for this.”
Looking Back and Forward
As I write this blog, I’m struck by how long the Wine Road has been guiding new and seasoned wine tasters. Fifty years of sharing maps, putting on events like Barrel Tasting Weekend, and connecting wine lovers with wineries. I’m glad the Wine Road is celebrating 50 years of supporting wine lovers near and far.
Wine tasting may have evolved over the past half century, but the joy of finding wines you love, and wineries that sell wines you want to stock in your cellar, continues to happen daily along the Wine Road.
Happy Sipping!
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