As I’m sitting here in the Cricket Hill tasting room the rain is beating on the roof and I’m thinking, “this is going to be a slow day for visitors.” So, with that thought in mind, I figured I’d put pen to paper and give people some tips on how to get the most out of their visits to the many wineries we’re lucky, or smart, enough to live near.

I don’t intend to be some “Emily Post” of wine tasting but just to share a few do’s and don’ts that will enhance both your enjoyment and the enjoyment of those around you. Think of these not as “rules” but as “relationship builders” – actions that will cement your relationship with the winery and your fellow tasters. I’ve noted more than a few do’s and don’ts over the years but here are just four that come to mind.

1) Don’t wear fragrances
Believe it or not, people do come to tasting rooms to taste the wines! They may want to learn what a wine they’ve never heard of has to offer or they may want to evaluate the merits of a wine they have some experience with. Either way, the aromas of the wine is a critical part of the reason they’re there. You may not care if your overpowering fragrance makes it impossible for you to smell what a wine has to offer but believe me, others will. So save the fragrances for those intimate occasions when they will be appreciated. Don’t be that person whose fragrance interferes with what you, and anyone near you for that matter, is trying to taste

2) Don’t homestead
We’re all for being enthusiastic and curious about wine, my livelihood and that of other winery owners depends on your excitement, knowledge and appreciation of wine. If you’re here in the Applegate, you’ll often find the owners or winemakers manning the tasting rooms. This is your opportunity to learn more about grapes and wines than you should reasonably expect from the typical tasting room staff.

When the tasting room becomes busy though, do try to step aside from the counter in a timely matter, or at least make a little room for new guests. I know it’s the responsibility of the host to welcome the new arrivals, but sometimes in an attempt to be polite to the person there first, we may not. So try to be polite when tasting – don’t be that person who stands at the counter, argues with the host and never notices the lineup of guests waiting behind them.

3) Don’t use a tasting room to get buzzed
You say you paid a tasting fee and gosh darned if you’re not going to get your money’s worth! Or you might hear, let’s get our bridesmaids together and have a “go taste wines party!” These sorts of actions are guaranteed not to help you build relationships with wineries.

Tasting fees aren’t there so wineries can make money selling wine tastes. That’s not the business they’re in. Tasting fees are generally modest amounts that just keep the winery from losing quite as much when they open their doors to guests.
On a wine tour of the Applegate, where there are 17 tasting rooms on the Winetrail, you would expect to taste a lot of wines. You won’t be disappointed. But if you’re buzzed, will you be able to recognize what you’ve tasted? Will you know any more about those wines than when you started?

The moral of this story is, if you know you’re going to taste a lot of wines in a day, do what the pros do and spit – don’t swallow. If you want to be sober enough to recognize a favorite wine you’d like to take home then use the spit buckets. Spitting wine graciously is an art form that requires practice – ask anyone with a beard!

4) If you like it – buy it FROM THEM!
Which brings us to our last tip. If you like it – buy it then and there. I’m not talking about joining some wine club or buying futures, but those are great if you’re sober and want to do them; I’m talking about purchasing something you enjoy directly from the people who made it. Don’t wait to find it at the end of some grocery store aisle. You’re going to be disappointed and wind up buying an inferior wine that you’ve never tried. And that’s why you’ve come to the winery, isn’t it?

Best of all, taking that wine home you’ll have something wonderful to share with your friends or dinner guests – a wine you’ll love and a story about what you learned from the dreamers who crafted it.
See you in the tasting room!

Duane Bowman is a Director of Applegate Valley Oregon Vintners Association and winemaker at Cricket Hill Winery located at the 2 mile marker on Little Applegate Rd. Find him at www.crickethillwinery.com or email duane@crickethillwinery.com