Make the most of your next winery visit with these tasting room tips from the experts.
- Don’t chew gum or drink coffee or consume “anything that’s going to skew your palate” immediately before going to a winery, says Holly Peterson, owner and winemaker at Sandhill Crane Vineyards. The same goes for perfume: “Something that can get in the way of tasting and experiencing the wine is kind of a ‘don’t.’”
- Visit the wineries’ websites for updates on hours and potential closures for private parties and to see if reservations are needed. “Some places just do reservation only,” says Angie Horning, the tasting room manager at Petoskey Farms. “We don’t do reservations at all.”
- Don’t treat your visit solely as an opportunity to consume alcohol. “There’s a story with every wine,” says Bekah Bell, the wine club manager at Dune Bird Winery. “If you come just looking to drink, … that’s a missed opportunity.”
- Approach wine tasting with an open mind. “You’ve got to try new things, because it’s fun,” Horning says. “Get out of the box and see what you like.”
- Don’t take just one sip. “It really does take your palate three small sips to acclimate, [to decide if] ‘I do find this enjoyable,’ or, ‘This isn’t the wine for me,’” says Mary Ann Mahaney, co-owner at Boyne Valley Vineyards.
- Conversely, you don’t have to drink every last drop. That’s what spit buckets are for. “It’s OK if you don’t finish or like everything,” Horning says. “You can ask to try something different. We’re pretty chill.”
- Don’t take the glasses unless they’re offered to you. During the pandemic, many wineries included glasses in the price of tastings. Not so much these days.
- Don’t forget to tip, Bell notes: “There’s this blurred line: Is this a store with merchandise? But the tasting room attendants are doing more than preparing wine. … It is sometimes overlooked that they deserve to be tipped for really good service.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Michigan Wine Country magazine.
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