One of the great things about touring in Wine Country is that you can generally expect lovely weather, if a bit hot. Making great wine requires plentiful sunshine, so that’s what you’re likely to get when you go wine tasting. However, into every vineyard a little rain must fall; after all, the grapes need water too. So if you wake up to find it pouring and the weatherman says it’s likely to continue all day, what are you to do? You’ve come to taste wine and perhaps today is the only day you have to indulge yourself. You could just give up and go home, but why? Pretty much all tasting rooms are indoors, after all. (Iron Horse Winery in Sebastopol in Sonoma County, is the maker of some pretty good sparkling wines and is the exception. Their tasting “room” is outdoors, so maybe it’s not a super choice for a rainy day.)
So if you’re facing a day of fine wine mixed with rainwater, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Drive extra safely. Aside from the usual caution you should exercise while mixing alcohol and driving, you should take extra care. Many Wine Country roads are rather windy, narrow and have no guard rails. Even if you are exercising due care, the person driving that on-coming or overtaking car may not be doing the same thing. Or maybe this is the day to hire a driver.
Old Zinfandel vines at Ridge Lytton Springs winery.
- Enjoy the special majesty of the vineyards. Of course, it’s best to see the vineyards just before harvest, with the leafy vines hanging with ripe fruit. But maybe you picked an overcast day in February because that’s when you happened to be there. We think that bare vines under gray skies have an allure of their own, especially stumpy, non-trellised old Zinfandel, as shown in the photo above. You may not get this sight very often, so enjoy it while you have it.
- Take advantage of slow days in the tasting rooms. Rainy days don’t generally attract big crowds, so you get the chance to spend more time with knowledgeable servers. Not only do you get their undivided (well, less divided) attention, but they may be just a little more inclined to find something special to pour for you. Anyone who ventures out in bad weather is pretty likely to be a dedicated wine taster, so it’s the servers’ pleasure to reward you just for showing up.
- Bring an umbrella. Sure, you knew that, but maybe you don’t have one in your luggage. Most hotels have a supply and they are happy to loan you one. (Be considerate and return it when you’re finished with it.) Plan B might be to look for an umbrella in your first tasting room’s gift shop, emblazoned with the logo of that winery.
Overall, the message is to make the most of a bad day and enjoy your tastings anyway.