We often receive the question from our friends, “How many wineries can a person safely visit in a day?” And the answer always is, “It depends”. It depends on your level of interest, how you like to taste wine and most important, what your tolerance for alcohol may be. Everyone is different in these regards so self-knowledge both in the planning before you go and during the day that you’re there is critical to both enjoyment and safety.
Here at Power Tasting, we’re all about wine tasting. It’s not about the quality or even really about the quantity of the wine – or the cake – it’s about your overall level of appreciation.
Of course, wine is an intoxicating beverage. If you have too much of it, you can’t appreciate what you’re tasting. And if you’re driving, you can be downright dangerous to yourself and others on the road.
So to answer the opening question, we often visit six wineries in a day. “Six!!!!” you may be saying. But we have our method and maybe it can help you.
- We share a tasting. We get one glass for the two of us, just as you might get two forks for one slice of cake. That way, we get to taste as several wines at any winery without imbibing as much alcohol. Our objective is to taste, not to drink. (Now, there are exceptions. If we are visiting a place that makes wines we know in advance we will particularly like, we sometimes each have our own glasses. Those are the days we spend more time in those particular wineries and visit fewer of them overall.) In addition, it’s less expensive if you share.
- We get a lot of appreciation out of aromas, as well as tastes. For one thing, smelling wine is an equal part of the experience. Our noses often tell us a different story than our mouths do. The aromas may be intoxicating, but you can’t get drunk just smelling wine.
- We sip just as one might have a nibble of cake. It only takes a little bit to get the flavors, the mouthfeel, the finesse and the finish of a wine. There are some who spit before swallowing, but we are not among them. Yes, we take in a bit of alcohol, but we get the complete sensation of a wine. And then…
- We pour. That’s what the bucket on the bar is there for. Let’s face it, not every wine is great or at least not to everyone’s taste. So if we sip something that either or both of us don’t like it, we get rid of it. Honest, the servers don’t care. They fill glasses; how the visitor empties them is not the server’s concern.
- We always monitor how much we’re drinking and how we feel. If there’s any question at all, it’s time to stop. By the time you know you’ve had too much, you’ve had way too much.
Because we are careful, we know that our usual consumption is on average about a half a glass per winery. So if we visit six wineries, it comes to three glasses over a six to seven hour period. For some people, that may indeed be too much, so don’t do it if you’re one of those people.