Winery Tasting Rooms

[Don Giovanni]

Click On Me

Winery Tasting Rooms what is a fair price for a flight?

Help me out with some of your experience and views. Remember I already know of one winery that poured themselves broke.

[GordonCooks]

I would rather pay something to sample what the winery's best offerings are. The trouble with some tours (esp Finger Lakes) is the proliferation of drunken caravans slogging from place to place merely to get plastered for free. For me, I enjoy the variety, other enjoy the fine corinthian leather in the limo.

[SBonner]

I'm up for $10 for a flight of premium wines. Anything else should be free.

Cheers,

Stephen Bonner

Vancouver

[MattJohnson]

as a consumer, I like it when I can put my tasting fee towards a bottle or two. Its too bad the big bus loads of freeloaders ruin it for the rest of us.

[Rebel Rose]

We charge a $3 fee to taste 5 wines from the list. We were one of the first wineries in our area to charge a fee, and so for the first two years after we initiated it I would frequently get calls from other wineries.

We keep our fee low, because we view it as a filter, and $3 is all that's required to make it work. It makes people stop and consider. If Gramma would swill down free wine even if she doesn't like it, now she'll opt to take Little Bradley out to the swing. Couples decide to share. Also, we don't collect the fee upfront, and we waive it entirely if a couple or individual purchases wine. There are now wineries in our area that charge $8-10 for tasting and do not return or apply the fee upon purchase. It's sad that most people still try to pay the fee after they've purchased their bottle, but it gives us a chance to wave graciously and chirp, "Oh no, don't worry about it." Which makes both us and the customer feel good. And we waive the fee for trade people, birthdays, engagements, if we like you . . .

Conversely, my tasting list clearly states the fee at the top of the page and the phrase "one fee waived per bottle purchased." That gives us the option to get literal about it if we are visited by a limo full of clattering bridesmaids. I learned that lesson early on when one person would buy a single bottle in order to get the whole group's fees waived.

I don't allow buses at all. And only a few limo companies; they must be approved. And I still charge the fee when people do arrive in limos or trolleys or guide vans. It annoys me to the bone when these groups think that they should taste for free and still not buy wine. Ninety percent of the time a limo/van group are the worst customers.

But all in all, I think it's sensible for a winery our size to be gracious, yet cautious and sensible when it comes to pouring samples.

[MattJohnson]

that sounds very reasonable.

[teagal]

Most of the time I will buy a bottle or if I don't like the wines something else--some food item or whatnot. If I pay for the tasting, then I don't feel I have to do that. A time or two I didn't buy anything and just felt so guilty, I make sure its something I do now. I think anything around $5.00 is fine to charge. Any more and I'd like it to be taken off my bill if I purchase anything-lunch,wine etc.

A winery I frequent has just started putting out tip glasses for the people pouring the wines. They don't charge for the tasting and I'm wondering what's the norm for a tip of that sort?

[Rebel Rose]

I think a tip depends on how much time and information the pourers provide; $1-$5 would be fine . . . $1 for a speed tasting of say 5 1-oz. pours, with little discussion; up to $5 for some educational, fun discourse, warm hospitality, and recommendations.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I think putting out a tip jar is really, really offensive.

On the other hand, the last weekend winery job I had was incredibly lucrative for me on privately-handed tips. We had one manager who was okay with us receiving tips. She was replaced with someone who was adamant no one accept a tip. It was an odd thing because the tips I received were often because I was obviously working hard to help the clients and taste them through a product and the tips were usually very large because the guest knew I was going a bit above and beyond. There were days when I was leaving the tasting room with an extra $100 in my pocket. When the new manager realized how lucrative my tips had been, she "reconsidered" and said we could have a tip jar and everyone would share the tips. That's when I left as she thought everyone should share in my hard work when others were just there to socialize and drink.

An isolated story, but part of it has taught me: If someone -- anyone -- gives me exceptional service in any industry, I will personally tip them. Privately and discreetly.

[dinwiddie]

I thnk it depends a lot on who much the wine you are tasting costs. I certainly have no problem paying a reasonable tasting fee, and expect that the fee will be a little higher if they winery is allowing me to taste their premium wines (assuming they have such) In fact, I tend to be leary of winerys where there is no fee whatsoever to taste the wines because that means I'm probably going to get the basic, mass produced, fairly incipid wine that I could just as well have purchased in the supermarket.

If I want to taste (and it is available) the winery's flagship wine that costs $50+ a bottle, I certainly shouldn't expect that they are opening bottles of it to give tastes away. That is one way to go broke for sure. I'd expect that they make the tasting fee enough to cover the cost of opening the wine, but not so high as to be making a big profit from it.

I can't remember off hand what the fees were when I was tasting my way thru the icewines in Canada last summer, but they were reasonable, and they did keep the folks who were just looking for a buzz away. I certainly spent enough money on wine that I didn't even think about the tasting fees in comparison as being an outragous expense.

On the other hand, when you are talking about wineries that make wine in hundred thousand case quantities, I'd be a little insulted if there was a fee that didn't include at least one of the higher end wines.

Edited May 16, 2007 by dinwiddie (log)

[Raoul Duke]

I've always found the fee process interesting. We are willing to charge for a taste of wine but when we want an estimate for construction cost comparisons, we expect it for free.

[tdo-ca]

[dupe]

Edited May 20, 2007 by tdo-ca (log)

[tdo-ca]

Assuming at least five wine pours, up to ten bucks applicable against a purchase. But I also prefer to taste where reservations are requested...

[Jmahl]

A pour fee of $5 is not unreasonable. For upper end product $10 or even more might well be called for. I like the comment above that the fee is sometimes waived following a purchase. Good business and good vibes.

Jmahl

[dvs]

i work at a winery that doesn't charge for tastings and pours 4 wines range from $30/bts to $85/btl. we're open by appointment only and rarely do more than 2 tastings a day. that said, we're so off the beaten path that if someone takes the time to make it out here, they usually buy wine which offsets our pouring costs.

i think most wineries in Napa and elsewhere installed a tasting fee to discourage people just coming to get drunk. now many are going to the by appointment only policy to combat the same thing.

nothing like commuting on silverado trail w/ a bunch of drunks...

Edited May 24, 2007 by dvs (log)

[JohnL]

I doubt people are visiting tasting rooms to get "drunk." (aside from a few boors)

There are easier and cheaper ways to do this.

I do think people visit Napa (and other wine making areas) to see the sights, eat, drink and have fun.

The vast majority of people visiting tasting rooms are tourists and not serious "taste and spit" connoisseurs on a quest to find that perfect chardonnay or Rhone varietal wine they will buy cases of. At least this is my best guess.

As long as these places go all out to attract tourists and let's be honest--we are talkin wine trains, restaurants, gift shops and wine museums--all fueled by the business of producing alcoholic beverages.......

In the end it's about people having fun and if they get a bit tipsy in the process well so be it!

[Craig Camp]

I've always found the fee process interesting. We are willing to charge for a taste of wine but when we want an estimate for construction cost comparisons, we expect it for free.

←

I'd say most construction projects cost more than most bottles of wine.

[Craig Camp]

A small winery could literally give away a huge percentage of their production through samples used in their tasting room. The number of bottles used is staggering. A small tasting fee simply covers the costs of sampling people who don't buy or are just there to get a cheap drink. We charge $5 for five wines, but refund it on purchase.

As we are not far from the highway and have a great view, we constantly have unannounced limos show up with groups out for birthdays or bachelorette parties (no bachelor parties yet, but that's probably another thread) and, as Rebel Rose noted, these are the worst customers. We also have a good number of our Riedels disappear into limos every year.

The vast majority of visitors are polite and interested, but a small percentage just out for the party do change the experience for all.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Craig Camp (log)

[JohnL]

Craig.

Interested in those bachelor parties to increase business?

I got the answer:

"TOPLESS POURERS"

You'll have to increase the size of your parking area to accommodate all the limmos!

You can probably increase that five dollar for five pours to twenty dollars and allow tips to be placed in the pourers G-strings!

In fact, I bet you will make more money at this than you do making and selling wine!

just a thought!

maybe Oregon just needs a "wine train"--folks seem to love these!

[Don Giovanni]

A bit off the subject...I was talking to a Limo owner and she told me that one of the drivers was fumed...he spent the whole day with a couple who bought over six cases of wine...paid all the fees with not a complaint...and tipped the driver $10.00... that's ten dollars...some people need a wake-up call...a small winery can and has poured themselves out of business...today my glass supplier just sent me a letter about fuel surcharge imposed on all invoices...get this until the price of fuel comes down to a reasonable level...

John L.

I have been flashed...from some wild women...and then they through money in the tip jar...

[dvs]

I doubt people are visiting tasting rooms to get "drunk." (aside from a few boors)

←

if you don't think people are visiting tasting rooms to get drunk, just give a call to Duckhorn and ask them why they went to "by appointment only".

[JohnL]

I don't doubt this is a problem.

My belief is that if Napa wants to sell/promote itself as a major tourist attraction then it is courting the dollars generated from a large audience for whom wine is not a primary interest.

It has to accept the consequences--that's all.

When wineries feature museum quality guided tours and huge gift shops selling everything from pottery to T-shirts to glassware and other decorative items for the home then no doubt that for many visitors, the wine is secondary.

I would ask why a major large winery with distribution all over the country needs a tasting room at all? (answer--it's all about branding and brand loyalty)

[Raoul Duke]

I've always found the fee process interesting. We are willing to charge for a taste of wine but when we want an estimate for construction cost comparisons, we expect it for free.

←

I'd say most construction projects cost more than most bottles of wine.

←

So then we are willing to take up someone's time to work up a detailed construction estimate (wine production) and then expect it to be added to the cost of the construction (wine)? Aren't most marketing costs built into a product (construction/wine)?

[Craig Camp]

I've always found the fee process interesting. We are willing to charge for a taste of wine but when we want an estimate for construction cost comparisons, we expect it for free.

←

I'd say most construction projects cost more than most bottles of wine.

←

So then we are willing to take up someone's time to work up a detailed construction estimate (wine production) and then expect it to be added to the cost of the construction (wine)? Aren't most marketing costs built into a product (construction/wine)?

←

I bet most sharp ones do build it in.

[Craig Camp]

I doubt people are visiting tasting rooms to get "drunk." (aside from a few boors)

←

if you don't think people are visiting tasting rooms to get drunk, just give a call to Duckhorn and ask them why they went to "by appointment only".

←

Our biggest problem is not those that get drunk here, as we watch that closely, but those that arrive already drunk after visiting a bunch of other wineries.