The type of people you will meet on winery tours
Taking a winery tour doesn’t mean you have to know a lot about wine. In fact, you will find that the most charming people on the planet are the winemakers, as they patiently explain the winemaking process to you and are even generous with the samples they let you taste. The local guides will even give you helpful hints, tips and advice on how to store and serve wine, and explain the symmetry between wine and food, which is always helpful when attending the next formal dinner.
So if you were to go on a winery tour, you can expect nothing but fun, panoramic views, and of course free lunch and drinks.
But who are the kinds of people you can expect to meet and mingle on winery tours? Many of us seem to think that the people who frequent these tours are wine connoisseurs, accomplished chefs, and wealthy individuals with discriminating tastes. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that the people who go on winery tours are, in fact, wine connoisseurs, accomplished chefs, and wealthy individuals with discriminating tastes. But the thing is, just like you, they’re here to learn and educate themselves, because frankly, wine is such a broad subject. You can never learn enough about them. These people can be classified into three types: winemakers, oenologists and tasters.
Wine connoisseurs or experts come to these tours to get an update on any new varietals they might buy for the next dinner party they’re planning. That accomplished chef next to her is opening a new restaurant and may want to see what she can add to her wine lists or what might go well with the new recipe she’s coming up with. That gentleman across the room may just be bored visiting the gift shops and want to try something new to occupy her time. He may even meet a couple who have never drunk wine more than 2-4 times a month, never read or bought wine magazines, but are there because they think wine is interesting. Wine bloggers can also join these tours to sip old and new wines so they can write about and review them for their fans and readers around the world.
Winemakers, on the other hand, are those who don’t actually own vineyards, but simply love the art of making wine, whether by fermentation or using wine kits. They take these tours to hone their skills and possibly be able to get ideas on how to produce bolder, more adventurous wines. And then of course there are the wine tasters who are a combination of all three types. However, they mostly take these tours simply for the love of wine and its taste. They are also the type to host their own wine tasting parties, and these days, there are even people who get paid a lot just to go on these winery tours.
The point of going on a winery tour is education. Yes, the people who go there know a thing or two about wine, but not everything. In fact, ask any winemaker and they will tell you that they have a lot of fun doing winery tours for people who have never visited a winery before, because you can be sure that these people will hang on to your every word and ask all the good questions. . Also, as intimidating as wine can be, it always comes up during conversations, so you want to be able to defend yourself, right?
It’s also quite easy to book a winery tour, whether you’re going alone or with a group of friends and family. Even some wineries open their doors to tourists who need accommodation. You don’t need to book a hotel and winery tour separately if a nice winery is set up with rooms and amenities that you can enjoy during your vacation.
These tours are meant to be a fun learning experience that is open to everyone. It’s also a way to meet other wine lovers just like you, so you can expand your network and learn more about wine from other people too. You don’t have to be an expert to be eligible to join. You just need to be excited about your trip, and everything will be nice and fun.
