Wine tours are popular not only among dedicated wine drinkers but also among those who are just beginning to drink wine and are wishing to expand their palates. However, if you're preparing to attend your first wine tour, you might be wondering what to expect. Here are the basics:
1. A Tour of the Grounds
Most wineries are located on the grounds with the vineyards where the grapes are grown. Assuming this is true of the winery you're visiting, you can expect your wine tour to begin with a walk around the grounds. You'll generally be shown where the grapes are grown, and you'll learn how the vintners tend to the grapes throughout the year. If you happen to visit when there are grapes on the vine, the tour guide may show you a few different varieties of grapes and point out the differences between them. You might even get to sample a few of the grapes! Since wine starts off as grapes, seeing this part of the process is really eye-opening.
2. A Tour of the Facility
After seeing the vineyards, you will often head indoors to the facility where the wine is pressed and produced. Here, the tour guide will often show you the various vessels where the grapes, and later the juice, are stored. They will generally explain the wine-making process, including the differences between how red wine and white wine are made. If you're at an older winery, there may be some historic sites to see on this part of the tour. Or, the tour guide may explain how wine was made in the past and then contrast that with how wine is made in modern times.
3. Wine Tasting
This is the part of the tour most people look forward to! But it consists of far more than simply sitting around and tasting wine. Most tours include what's known as a "guided tasting". You'll be poured wine after wine, and as this happens, the guide will tell you what notes you should be expecting to notice in the wines. They will generally also teach you how to properly taste wine — how to swirl the glass, how to sip, and so forth. By the end of the tasting, you should have a better idea of which wines you prefer.
Wine tours are fun, multi-faceted events. Embark on one soon, and enjoy yourself.
Contact a company like Napa Valley SUV to learn more.