A Lovely Day in the Country

Wine tasting can be a destination activity.  You travel to the capitals of the wine world – Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, the Barossa Valley – for the purpose of tasting the wonderful wines they have to offer.  But in other cases, tasting wine is secondary if not incidental to the trip.  Perhaps you’re on vacation in a city that has wineries nearby and you’d like an afternoon away from the urban bustle.  Or you live in such a place and you wake up to find a day too beautiful to stay in town.  So you decide, let’s go to Wine Country, not for serious tasting but just for a pleasant day out.

Here are some tips for making the most of such a day.

Plan ahead.  We don’t mean that you should spend hours studying guides and maps.  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.  There was a time when you really needed to know where you were going.  Nowadays, Google knows and you only have to ask.

 Minimize your driving.  Select a destination that you can get to primarily on major roads and then go there only (and there only).  Don’t lose your time behind the wheel going from winery to winery.  If there are two or three in close proximity to one another, those are the ones to visit today.  Your tasting at Chateau Latour can wait for another day.

Have lunch.  Have a very good lunch.  Have wine with your lunch. If you dine in a restaurant, make it one that’s fun.  For example, when we go wine tasting in Long Island’s North Fork, we often have burgers and sandwiches at the Old Mill Inn in Mattituck.  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.  It’s not great food but it’s great fun.

Shop for something that isn’t wine.  Almost every winery has stuff for sale, from caps and shirts with the winery logo to truly beautiful, unique (often overpriced) products.  You don’t have to buy but the looking can be fun.  And since Wine Country is by definition farm country, you can often find a stand with fruit, vegetables, pies and candy.

Savor the beauty that’s all around you.  There may be exceptions, but in our experience grapes only grow in beautiful places.  The vines in serried rows, like soldiers marching in formation across a hillside, are going to look brilliant, any time of year.  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.  We both say it fills our hearts.  Fill yours.

Stay as late as you can.  Of course, it depends how much time you need to drive home.  But seeing the vines in the long, golden rays of a summer afternoon – or better yet, a sunset – makes for an unforgettable day in the country.

Taste, don’t drink.  It is so tempting to go to just one more winery and to swallow everything each one has to offer.  But don’t forget that it is alcohol and you have to drive to get back home.  Sip each wine and experience it with all your senses – the aroma, the color, the feel of the glass in your hand, the murmurs of other guests – and if you really like it, buy a bottle to take home with you.

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