First Wine Tour? 3 Unwritten Rules You Need To Know

If you are getting ready to go on your very first wine tour, there are some unwritten rules that you need to know. Here are some of the top unwritten rules that you need to know about in order to feel as comfortable as possible during your wine tour:

#1 Carry Cash With You

You are going to want to bring some cash with you on your wine tour. Depending on how your wine tour is set up, the flights may be included in the cost, or you may have to pay for each flight individually at each winery that you stop at.

To keep things flowing is it best to pay with cash instead of a card. Cards can take longer to run and can slow down the flow of the tasting. Even if the tastings are included in the price of the wine tour, you may want to tip the person serving you wine. You may also want to have some cash on hand to tip your limo driver at the end of the tour.

Additionally, if you plan on purchasing any of the wine that you try, it is once again good to have cash to do so.

#2 Dress Nicely

Second, you are going to want to dress up a little bit for your wine tour. Wine tours are not black-tie affairs, but they are also not extremely casual, either. You are going to want to dress in a classy manner. For men, that may mean a button-up shirt paired with some nice slacks or dress shorts. For women, that may mean a nice dress, skirt, or pantsuit.

You'll want to dress more like you are going to a real nice golf club, where you are expected to dress up but also be able to move around comfortably.

#3 Enjoy The Wine

Finally, make sure that you enjoy and appreciate the wine. At each location, you'll be served samples of wine. Generally, the protocol dictates that you swish the wine around in your glass and smell it, in order to enjoy the aroma. Many people also like to guess what flavors they smell. Next, take a small sip of the wine, swirling it around your mouth so that you can enjoy the flavors. Then you can swallow the wine. However, if you don't like the taste of the wine or are trying to control the amount of wine that you drink, you can always spit the wine out in the spittoon. It is not insulting or rude to use the spittoon; it is there so you can enjoy a large variety of wines without drinking all of them.

Make sure that you watch how much you drink, and don't get drunk; a wine tour is not a night out in the club. It is an environment where you are expected to know and abide by your own drinking limits. 

Contact a company like Chicago's Private Car and Limo for more information and assistance.