Wine tasting can be a destination activity.\u00a0 You travel to the capitals of the wine world \u2013 Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, the Barossa Valley \u2013 for the purpose of tasting the wonderful wines they have to offer.\u00a0 But in other cases, tasting wine is secondary if not incidental to the trip.\u00a0 Perhaps you\u2019re on vacation in a city that has wineries nearby and you\u2019d like an afternoon away from the urban bustle.\u00a0 Or you live in such a place and you wake up to find a day too beautiful to stay in town.\u00a0 So you decide, let\u2019s go to Wine Country, not for serious tasting but just for a pleasant day out.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips for making the most of such a day.<\/p>\n
Plan ahead.\u00a0 <\/strong>We don\u2019t mean that you should spend hours studying guides and maps.\u00a0 But take a quick look on the Web for a locale that has all the things you need: a few wineries, a restaurant and a deli.\u00a0 There was a time when you really needed to know where you were going.\u00a0 Nowadays, Google knows and you only have to ask.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Minimize your driving<\/strong>.\u00a0 Select a destination that you can get to primarily on major roads and then go there only (and there only).\u00a0 Don\u2019t lose your time behind the wheel going from winery to winery.\u00a0 If there are two or three in close proximity to one another, those are the ones to visit today.\u00a0 Your tasting at Chateau Latour can wait for another day<\/em>.<\/p>\n Have lunch.<\/strong>\u00a0 Have a very good lunch.\u00a0 Have wine with your lunch. If you dine in a restaurant, make it one that\u2019s fun.\u00a0 For example, when we go wine tasting in Long Island\u2019s North Fork, we often have burgers and sandwiches at the Old Mill Inn in Mattituck.\u00a0 The attraction is sitting on a dock watching the ducks come begging for French fries and seeing the pleasure boats head out into the Sound.\u00a0 It\u2019s not great food but it\u2019s great fun.<\/p>\n Shop for something that isn\u2019t wine.<\/strong>\u00a0 Almost every winery has stuff for sale, from caps and shirts with the winery logo to truly beautiful, unique (often overpriced) products.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to buy but the looking can be fun.\u00a0 And since Wine Country is by definition farm country, you can often find a stand with fruit, vegetables, pies and candy.<\/p>\n Savor the beauty that\u2019s all around you.<\/strong>\u00a0 There may be exceptions, but in our experience grapes only grow in beautiful places.\u00a0 The vines in serried rows, like soldiers marching in formation across a hillside, are going to look brilliant, any time of year.\u00a0 At almost every winery they are aware of what they have and provide a bench or a porch where you can just sit and take in the glory of the scenery.\u00a0 We both say it fills our hearts.\u00a0 Fill yours.<\/p>\n Stay as late as you can.<\/strong>\u00a0 Of course, it depends how much time you need to drive home.\u00a0 But seeing the vines in the long, golden rays of a summer afternoon \u2013 or better yet, a sunset \u2013 makes for an unforgettable day in the country.<\/p>\n Taste, don\u2019t drink.<\/strong>\u00a0 It is so tempting to go to just one more winery and to swallow everything each one has to offer.\u00a0 But don\u2019t forget that it is alcohol and you have to drive to get back home.\u00a0 Sip each wine and experience it with all your senses \u2013 the aroma, the color, the feel of the glass in your hand, the murmurs of other guests \u2013 and if you really like it, buy a bottle to take home with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wine tasting can be a destination activity.\u00a0 You travel to the capitals of the wine world \u2013 Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, the Barossa Valley \u2013 for the purpose of tasting the wonderful wines they have to offer.\u00a0 But in other cases, tasting wine is secondary if not incidental to the trip.\u00a0 Perhaps you\u2019re on vacation … Continue reading A Lovely Day in the Country<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions\/175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}