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+--- Thread: Tasting Room Fees (/thread-13252.html)
- Grape Stuff - 08-07-2003
I guess this is part question part rant...I've been to tasting rooms in CA, and WA. In Washington, I've never been charged a penny in any tasting room, and very often the winemaker himself is the one pouring. In California, I find anywhere from 2 or 3 bucks per glass, or 5 to 20! Sometimes you get it back if you buy a bottle, sometimes not. But what I guess is odd, is that it seems that the bigger the winery (and the more they make), the more likely you are to find a fee. My last trip to CA last weekend, I found myself balking at paying, and walking out the door. Especially from producers I know nothing about.
- Innkeeper - 08-07-2003
Have not seen the $5 to $20 variety, but have seen others. On Eastern Long Island it is almost mandatory to keep out the throngs looking for a cheap drunk. There they charge $2 - $3 for a 2 - 3 oz "taste." Have not found a California winery yet that did not return the cost upon purchase or let you keep the glass you allegedly paid for.
- Thomas - 08-07-2003
grapestuff, I understand your frustration, but having once owned and operated a winery, I can tell you that the tasting room, especially if it becomes a popular tourist attraction, can cost a lot in wine poured. After my experience with the tasting room, I accept a tasting fee--within reason--up to 2$ a taste is reasonable, and it should always be applied to wine purchases of at least six or more bottles.
- Kcwhippet - 08-07-2003
I can understand both points of view. To many people the tasting room fees are a real pain, particularly those people who are more than casually interested in wine, such as many on this and other wine boards. A lot of us visit wineries a lot and all those fees add up, especially if one doesn't find an interesting bottle to purchase. On the other hand, it does keep down the hordes who are intent on racing around the wine country trying to visit as many wineries as possible and drinking as much free wine as they can. We've all seen those types. However, I believe the wineries have brought this condition upon themselves. They've built these marvelous palaces as tourist destinations to attract the consumers, but they've given birth to a monster. Now there are lots of people who descend on the wineries and many don't buy a thing - they just drink the wine and move on to the next winery. For my own case, I've been able to get around the fees. I work in a wine shop and I present my business card which waives the fee. However, for the past few years, Judy and I have been going to small wineries not open to the public, which actually are open if you call first and they can work you into their schedule. We're meeting some wonderful people, finding some fabulous wines and we rarely seem to get away without buying at least a half case - usually more. Anyway, the wineries are suffering from their own success at attracting people and now they have to be able to recoup some of their costs, even the larger wineries. Building a tasting facility, staffing it and pouring a lot of wines can be an expensive proposition.
[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 08-07-2003).]
- Grape Stuff - 08-07-2003
Ya, I know it cost money to run these places, but It seems like anything over 5 bucks is getting excessive, especially if it doesn't apply to a purchase.
2 that I visited this past weekend were:
1) Stags Leap - 2 choices for a fee. first one got you a taste of 4 current releases for $10.00 that was not credited to the purchase of wine, or for $35.00 you could taste a vertical from 96-98 of their SLV? I think? I paid for #1. Very good Merlot, and Cab.
2) Duckhorn - I've wanted to sample the Napa Merlot, they were offering a $10 taste of 3 wines with no purchase creidt...but not the Merlot. So I passed.
- Thomas - 08-07-2003
I agree, grapestuff, avoid the ones with excessive fees. 2 dollars should cover any 1.5 oz. tasting. The math is simple: 1.5 oz gives nearly 17 tastes...17 x 2 = 34 dollars a bottle.
I forgot to mention, at my winery repeat customers who bought at least 6 bottles at a time never paid a tasting fee. But repeat customers who bought only one bottle here and there were charged a tasting fee, as were all first-time customers.
[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 08-07-2003).]
- craigrow - 08-18-2003
I haven't visited wineries outside of my backyard, but locally, the small ones with no tourist type facilities don't charge. The ones trying to draw tourists give free samples of their basic wines and charge $5 for a sample, usualy 3-5, of their single vineyard or reserve wines. Personally I'm happy to pay $5 for the opportunity to taste five different premium wines.
There is also a spa/resort near by that offers tastings for $10. They pour 3-5 wines from the same winery each night. Since they usually poor bottles costing $30 and up, I also appreciate the opportunity to taste several wines that otherwise would be expensive.
The other nice thing about this is the opportunity to taste several wines side-by-side. I can't do that at home without buying then opening one bottle of each, which would result in much of the wine being wasted.
That said, it sounds like those California prices are ridiculously high, but what's new about that???
- Kcwhippet - 08-18-2003
They're probably trying to cover some of the huge energy costs (highest in the nation), huge worker's comp costs (highest in the nation), etc. in CA.
- Thomas - 08-18-2003
...don't forget the huge voting/recall costs...
- winedope1 - 08-20-2003
our own Sakonnet Vineyards here in RI charges $5/ 6 tastings of your choice from their tasting list. You also get to keep the engraved glass. WD
- winer - 09-04-2003
It seems to me that if the winery is trying to build its business and clientel, then they should not charge ANYTHING for tasting.
Two weeks ago, I went to a brand new winery in Summerland BC. They just started operations this summer. They have a vinyard, but have not yet made wine from their own grapes. All their available wine is made from grapes purchased elsewhere. And they charged a tasting fee of $3.00 (Cdn). I walked out, without tasting or buying, because it seemed ridiculous that they were charging a tasting fee in those circumstances.
Was I right or not? I would appreciate your comments.
- Innkeeper - 09-05-2003
If that is the whole story, you were right. If it was a flat fee to all the tasting, or if the fee was deducted from purchase, or if the fee included the tasting glass as a keeper, you may have been wrong.
- Thomas - 09-05-2003
It's hard to say whether or not you were right or wrong, not knowing the whole situation, including the winery's expenses. But look at it this way, you don't get to taste much of your groceries before you get to spend your money on them--why expect wine to be any different? And how many restaurants give you a sample of all the main dishes so you can decide on the one you want to buy?
It's a simple matter of economics. Some wineries can and some cannot afford to give away much.
- craigrow - 09-05-2003
Either way you're paying for that tasting. If the winery doesn't charge you for the tasting they have to build that expense into the price of their wines. Consider then that, if a winery doesn't charge for tastings, and you buy one of their wines, you're paying for all the free tastings they gave to people who purchased no wine.
- winer - 09-06-2003
Thanks for your comments. There were a couple of other points I should have mentioned:
- the wines available were MORE expensive by several dollars (the range was $14 - $23 Cdn)than similar varieties (Chardonnay, Reisling etc) made totally inhouse at other wineries in the area.
- the taster did not get to keep the glass
- I think the tasting fee WAS deducted from the price of a purchase, but I can't remember for sure.
What went through my mind at the time was that the wines were more expensive, the wine was made from juice purchased who knows where, and this was a brand new winery supposedly trying to build a business. Those were my reasons for walking out.
- Thomas - 09-07-2003
I'll stick to my guns on this one. The next time a new restaurant opens for business nearby, go there on the first night and see if the proprietor is handing out free tastes of the menu before you sit down to dinner. That likely would constitute the kind of promotion you are expecting from a new winery, but it also likely won't happen.
Fact is, and I know this from personal experience with my own winery, more tourists visit wine tasting rooms than wine consumers; a line has to be drawn to contain costs, and that line could begin with a policy to put the tasting fee back into the purchase price of wines actually bought by the taster.
I am a major wine consumer, but I don't get upset if asked to pay for a tasting. If I think the wines are too expensive for what they offer, I move on and the winery can keep the buck or two. I have hated a lot more movies than wines, and I have never gotten my money back from the theater owners who foisted the movies on me--never asked for it either.
- winer - 09-07-2003
I hear you, Foodie, and I respect your opinion. You, having had your own winery, have a different perspective than most other people on what is reasonable. Perhaps too, the idea of charging a fee for tasting is more common in the US than it is here in Canada. Here in BC at least, charging the fee is a relatively new phenomenon. I don't recall anyone doing this at all up until a couple of years ago, but now perhaps half the wineries I've visited charge a fee. Some charge the fee only if you are sampling their top end wines. So part of my objection is because, up until recently, I never had to pay the fee at all.
And I STILL believe that if a brand new winery is trying to promote their business, they should not be charging the fee in their first year of operation.