Description of a Wine Tasting:

· A wine tasting is a small (1 oz) pour of a select wine that is intended to give you an appreciation of the wine’s appearance, aroma and taste. It is sincerely hoped that you will not only enjoy our wines in the tasting room, but will purchase some wine to take home and share with your family and friends. Click here to enter the online wine shop.
· Normally we will have 4 wines available for tasting free of charge – includes red, white and port-style dessert wine. By law we are limited to the number of wine tasting pours we are allowed to offer.
· Wine tastings and wine sales are only available to those persons that are 19 years or older. If you are a visitor that is luck enough to look 25 years of age or younger, we will ask you for 2 pieces of identification – one of which must have your photo. So, come prepared with ID, and be flattered if we ask you for it.
· We want our guests to enjoy themselves and our wines, but please remember to always drink responsibly – always pre-plan a designated driver who will not consume any wine at all.
· For your own safety and that of others, we will not offer wine tastings to anyone who we believe is already under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Hints to improve your tasting experience

· Avoid wearing perfume or cologne when touring wineries – this can interfere with your ability to smell and taste the wine.
· If you are going to taste quite a few wines, consider taking just a small sip and then disposing of the balance in the “dump” bucket on the counter.
· Hold your glass by the stem so as not to alter the temperature or appearance of the wine.
· Enjoy a glass of purified water in between wine tastings to cleanse your palate.
· Wait to enjoy our floral and herb garden until after wine tasting so as not to interfere with your ability to smell the aromas of the wine.

Steps in wine tasting:

1. Appearance: hold the glass over a white sheet of paper to check clarity, intensity and colour
2. Aroma: Put your nose well into the glass and smell the wine, then swirl gently and smell again – check for condition (clean, unclean or faulty), intensity, character (fruit, flowers, spicy, vegetal, oak, other)
3. Taste: Draw in a small sip of wine with some air and then roll it around in your mouth 10-15 seconds. Note sweetness, acidity, tannins, body, character (fruit, flowers, spicy, vegetal, oak, other), length of finish (short, medium, long)
4. Conclusion: Outstanding, Good, Acceptable, Poor
5. Food Match: What food would you like to eat with this wine?