Drink the Experience

There is truly no better gig than working in a tasting room. It if were possible for me to afford the bloated Bay Area cost of living on those few ducats per hour – I’d make pouring wine a full-time profession. For the most part, everyone person you see or talk to is happy – either on vacation or taking a day of hedonistic pleasure. Your job? To enhance that pleasure and make sure every guest has a great experience at your winery.

But, it’s safe to say that we’ve all had less than wonderful experiences during our wine tasting exploits. Even though we are enjoying our own vacation or just a day of decadence, the experience in the tasting room can affect our experience with the wine.

Most recently, my wife went to one of our favorite wineries and found the usually casually-dressed tasting room staff decked out in matching branded golf shirts. She said it completely changed her feeling for the wines and winery. I understand this completely:

• If the host(s) aren’t friendly, I’m less likely to enjoy the wines.
• If the tasting room feels like a factory, or “corporate,” I’m less likely to enjoy the wines.
• If the host(s) try WAY too hard to be the “snobby-wine-guy” (when it’s apparent they shouldn’t be), chances are I’ll hate the wines.
• And the list goes on.

The inverse is true, of course. Great experiences in the tasting room can make even the most mediocre wines taste like liquid candy.