Whether you’re a seasoned wine enthusiast or a curious newcomer, learning about wine and developing your palate begins at the cellar door.
In this guide, we’ll share expert tips on selecting cellar doors, mastering the art of wine tasting, and pairing your tour with delicious local foods, all to help you create unforgettable memories on your wine adventure.
1. Selecting the Perfect Blend of Cellar Doors
Strike a balance between the number of wineries to visit and the time to dedicate to each is essential to ensure you don’t get overwhelmed. To make the most of your wine tour, we recommend visiting 3 to 4 cellar doors per day. This allows you to savor each experience without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.
2. Savour Each Visit
The staff at each cellar door are there to share their wine story and provide you with the best experience possible. Dedicate at least 45 minutes to each cellar door visit to fully appreciate the story behind each winery and savor the wines offered.
3. Variety is the Spice of Wine Tasting
Choose a diverse mix of wineries specializing in different wine varieties. This adds excitement to your tour and lets you explore alternative varietals outside the norm. If you can, allow a little flexibility and ask for recommendations from cellar door staff as you go to ensure you’re covering the cellar doors recommended by people in the know.
4. Pair Your Wine Tour with Delicious Food
Don’t forget to include food stops between wine tastings. Plan a lunch break or enjoy a roving feast with cellar doors offering ‘build your own platters’ featuring regional products. This adds another layer of enjoyment to your tour.
5. Master the Art of Wine Tasting
For newcomers to wine tasting, understanding some basic wine-tasting etiquette enhances the experience for you and the winery staff. A few pointers include:
- Taste with your eyes first: Start by looking at the colour of the wine. Hold it against a white background to better assess its hue. What is it telling you about what’s in the glass? Is the colour pale & transparent or deep & rich. It is vibrant or does it have the tell-tale hints of ageing?
- Swirl: Gently swirl the wine in your glass. This releases aromas, which are a crucial part of the tasting.
- Smell: Put your nose to work. Inhale the wine’s aroma to detect different scents. Start with big groups of scents? Does it smell like red berries or black? Tropical fruit or citrus fruit? Then see if you can break it down from there. Is it more like blackberry or raspberry? Apple or lemon?
- Taste: Take a small sip and let it linger on your palate. Notice the initial flavours, the body, and the finish. Then after swirling the wine in your mouth, swallow. Take time to notice the different flavours you detect afterwards. Five characteristics of wine to think about when tasting:
- Sweetness/dryness – does it taste sweet, dry or maybe somewhere in between?
- Acidity – does the wine make your mouth water? Like when you taste lemon? This is acidity.
- Tannin – does the wine have the drying effect of tannins, like when you drink a cup of very strong tea.
- Alcohol – alcohol gives the sensation of heat in the throat after swallowing.
- Body – is it light, medium or full bodied? A light-bodied wine will have a lighter, less viscous feel n the tongue; a full-bodied wine will feel heavier with more texture.
- Describe: Use descriptive words to capture your impressions. Is the wine fruity, spicy, or earthy? Try going back to smell the wine again after tasting, you’ll often pick up new flavours or initial ones will be easier to detect.
- Savour Every Sip: Take your time to appreciate the flavours. Don’t be afraid to go back & taste an earlier wine again for comparison so you can identify the wines you want to take home.
- Stay Hydrated: Sip water between tastings to cleanse your palate and stay refreshed.
- Let the Cellar Door staff guide you: Engage in conversation with winery staff. They’re passionate about their craft and are more than willing to share their knowledge.
Continue Your Wine Journey at Home
At the end of your tour, consider purchasing wines that stood out to youso you can continue your wine journey at home. Here are a few tips:
- Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone: Experiment with varieties you haven’t tried before to expand your horizons.
- Consider Food Pairing: Opt for wines that pair well with your favourite dishes. Seek guidance from winery staff on suitable pairings.
- Age-Worthy Wines: If you’re patient, invest in wines that can be aged. This allows you to savour them at their peak down the road.