Wine - It's an Experience

A friend was recently talking about wines that he received from a winery’s wine club. He had visited this winery a few years back and really enjoyed their wines. So, he joined their wine club. Every six months he gets a shipment of wine and puts them away for special occasions. A very common scenario.

But, my friend recounted, the last few bottles that he’s opened were just not as good as he remembers.

At the winery, he said, the wines were simply outstanding. They were unlike wines he had ever tasted. They had unique aromas, complex flavors, soft tannins and a finish that seemed to just go on and on. He remembers the wines were amazing!

He talked passionately about returning to the winery soon. To seeing the vineyards, to stand in the quaint little tasting room and sip wine while chatting once again with the very friendly owner. He couldn’t wait.

This is a scenario that plays out regularly with us wine lovers. The wines are often not as good at home as they were when we purchased them at the winery. Are we storing them properly? Does the wine need more time to age? Or, did we wait too long to open the bottle? Why isn’t it as good as we remember?

Or could it have been the vast rolling hills of vineyards, the beautiful winery facility, the fun little tasting room stacked high with wines aging in their oak barrels, the owner standing behind the tasting room counter and telling great stories as he pridefully poured the wine?

I can’t wait for my next visit to wine county. I know I can depend on finding a bunch of outstanding wines and enjoying every moment of the experience. Cheers!

Why Buy Wines at a Winery?

A few years ago, I told a friend that I was going to visit some wineries. He asked “Do you buy wines there?” My quick answer was “Yes!” He then asked “Why buy wines at a winery? They are more expensive than at the supermarket!”

Well, yes, wines at wineries are often more expensive than the wines you see in a supermarket. But, they are not the same wines. The wines you see in the market are the winery’s big production wines. They mass produce those wines so they can distribute them all over the country and all over the world. And, these mass-produced wines do tend to be less expensive.

But, the wines that you’ll find at a winery are typically the ones that they don’t mass produce and don’t widely distribute. These are smaller productions either for exclusive sale at the winery or through their wine clubs. So, the simple answer to my friend’s question is the wines being sold at the wineries are simply better wines.

Another reason to buy wines at a winery is because you get to try them before you buy them. Have you ever picked out a nice bottle of wine at a store and then later opened it only to find that it wasn’t as good as you expected and certainly not worth the price you paid? Well, that doesn’t happen when you are tasting and buying your wines at a winery.

So, if you are ready for the next level of wines, those that are better than what you’ll find in the supermarket, treat yourself to a winery visit. Along with getting to learn about the wines, and maybe even meeting the winemaker, you’ll get the opportunity to taste and buy some really excellent wines. And, at reasonable prices too. Cheers!