Buying At A Wine Tasting

A really great way to buy wine is at a wine tasting because you get to sample it first. No guessing. Either you like it or you don’t. And chances are good you’ll get it at a discount.

While I cover wine tastings elsewhere on this site in more detail, here we’ll look at actually buying the wine at the tasting. Of course, the purpose of a tasting is to sell the wines being presented. And if you buy other wines as well, that is even better for them. Taste some good wines and you’ll be in a buying mood. That’s the idea.

Most wine tastings will offer on the spot discounts for the wines that they present. Deeper discounts are available for buying by the case and sometimes a half-case. That adds to the pressure of buying. Like anything else, don’t let yourself be pressured. Be sure you like the wine enough to buy it on the spot. I know, it sounds obvious but let‘s not submit to impulse.

In general, there are three kinds of tastings. One is at a wine shop. The second is at a winery. The third is a large themed tasting with many wineries represented. Let’s look at buying wine at each.

When you buy at the wine store, you will usually be able to buy the wine right away. If not, you can probably order it.

By the way, if you find a wine you really like, grab a bottle before everyone else does so you don‘t have to order it. It happened to me one time. I’m merrily sipping other wines while one I like is disappearing off the shelf.

At a winery itself, you can do the same. But, unless you live in the heart of Napa Valley (wine lover nirvana), you will have to order it and have it shipped. There are caveats to this:

• There will probably be restrictions based on the laws of your state. You may be limited to how much you can buy.
• Watch out for those shipping charges. Make sure that they are not out of line.
• They may not want to ship by ground during weather extremes. This is OK to make sure that heat or cold do not affect the wine, but you will need to be patient since there may be a delay of several months.

  Some wineries will require full payment up front and then make you wait 4 months to get your wine. Instead, try to reserve it for that time frame and then ship it at the appropriate time. They won’t want to do that since it takes saleable wine off the shelf and there is no guarantee that you will honor the order. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.

• You will need to have someone of legal age available to receive and sign for the wine.

One strong advantage to buying wine at a winery is that you may be able to buy wine that is not readily available. Some of their wines will be available only at the winery. Others are not shipped to some parts of the country due to cost or local laws. So when buying wine at the winery, concentrate on those. With others, you can make a note of what you like and buy it once you get back home. Unless the price is irresistible.

At a large multi-winery tasting, you will almost always have to order it since there just won’t be enough space at the event. Personally, I don’t like having to do that but that’s just the way it is. I rather buy on the spot and take it home.

Now that you know how to buy, head out to the nearest tasting and go for it. I’ll probably see you there.

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