The Dos and Don'ts of Winery Roadtrips
Sunshine, crazily shaped rolling hills, cutting edge, family run wineries with fantastic under the radar wines accompanied with definitely on my radar good looking French wine interns – these were the kinds of experiences I was looking forward to most when I decided on doing a winery road trip through Paso Robles in California. There were just two things which I hadn’t really thought out. Firstly, I can’t drive. I will do a blog on the trials of being in the wine trade and also severely malco ordinated another time. Secondly, maybe most importantly, I was staying with my grandma, who has a need for driving speed undeterred by her developing cataracts. The video accompanying this blog shows the results.
Over the next few weeks I will be sharing my adventures on the road (being driven) through the sunny climes of Southern California, to the actual Mediterranean in Southern France. It will reveal amazing treasure troves of vinous manna, the incredible landscapes they come from, the wonderful people I meet and of course the rather absurd situations that only I can get myself into. However, the main aim is to make wine FUN and EXCITING! Wine is NOT just a bottle in a supermarket aisle but a living thing, which comes from a rich, colourful heritage, made by incredible people, in one of the few industries where mankind is practically completely subject to the elements. The recent earthquake in Sonoma, California, is a poignant reminder of that. It is not meant to be scary, snobby, overly expensive (only for a small sector of people!) or esoteric. That’s why – in my aim to make wine more fun and accessible – it seems only right to start off this blog series with the first entry being about how one actually goes about planning a winery road trip. My video shows a very inauspicious start but believe me – it led to one of the most magical three days I have ever had which I fortunately was able to share with four generations of my family – more on that later. However – now let’s get practical – below you will find a list of the KEY DO’s AND DON’Ts to keep in mind before planning that incredible wine journey.. which were of course all learnt by me… the hard way…
DO
Have a clear route planned on how to get to and around the region you are wishing to visit. Note video ABOVE.
Speak to people in the trade (sommeliers, wine retailers, friends in the trade) on what the most exciting wineries are to visit in your chosen region. The best winery experiences I have had was when a friend or contact in the trade recommended somewhere and in some amazing cases called ahead of time to see if the winemaker or owner could accompany my visit. This adds a whole new dimension to the experience so start plugging those wino contacts as soon as you know you want to travel vinously.
Keep some kind of rating system on the wine. It sounds laborious, pretentious, wanky etc but it is great to have a rough guide on the kinds of wines that you really enjoyed, whether it is to help you buy wines over there, and even more importantly if you want to get hold of those wines once you are back in the UK by using winesearcher.com or some other wine search engine. It also can be very useful in working out if there is a particular overall style you like from that one area. And I am not talking extensive, technical notes with scary scores. You can do a numerical score out of 10. 10 being amazing to 1 being.. I’d maybe reach for that if I was semi conscious from inebriation. Or even smiley faces. Smiley face for great, Victoria Beckham pout for nonchalant consent and a frown for something that is not really your thing. If your drawing has been reduced to a frown and tears- get out of that winery pronto!
Ask questions and be honest! Winegrowers have plenty of experience spotting bluffers and flatterers. If there is something you don’t like or are uncertain about a wine, say so. Knowing your reaction will make it easier for the winemaker to show you something that might be more to your taste. You might just move up a level in their esteem and be invited to taste something better!
DRINK WATER. Even if you spit out every drop you taste (advisable if you are driving.. luckily I can relax on that front), some of the alcohol still enters your bloodstream through the roof of your mouth. This was made powerfully clear for me when on the first day at the first winery, my grandmother did not spit, also drank Aunt Roberta’s (the driver) samples, bought 12 bottles to take home and then was impossible to wedge out from the back seat when we arrived at the next winery. It’s not a good look to appear late, to your favourite winery and winemaker who doesn’t normally see visitors, to then spend the first five minutes of the winery tour trying to heave your deadweight grandmother out from the back of the car. There is no footage to accompany this point. It was too mortifying. Just take my word – DRINK THE WATER AND EAT THE CRACKERS THE WINERY GIVE YOU!
DON’T
Overcrowd your day. For most people, the ideal figure, depending on the distance between, is four or fewer. With a family of non professional wine drinkers, three was the perfect number. One in the morning, plan the next one around noon where they hopefully serve lunch, are near to a restaurant or where you can enjoy a picnic. Then a final one in the afternoon where you can take away some bottles to enjoy with your dinner that evening. This does not make it too taxing for the driver and also makes it more possible for you to actually remember all of the wineries.. which can become a bit hazy after a while…
Force all family members to come if they are not in the mood. You won’t be able to relax and enjoy your surroundings and time at the winery and their boredom could piss off the winemaker/ winery owner. If you do have young children, a disinterested partner/lover etc, try and find a wine area which has other activities going on which they could enjoy. Or go to an event held at a winery which combines wine and music, art, food etc. More on dealing with little children and winery health and safety regulations in another blog.
Leave dining reservations to the last minute. Often the best restaurants in the area you do need to book a table before hand. Ask at the winery if they have any local favourites and see if they can call ahead and book a table for you.
Miss out on the local landscape. To get a full appreciation of the wine and its cultural and geographic roots it is great to explore the local area by walking, driving, riding or biking (for the physically competent). Some of the most beautiful areas of a country are its wine regions so get out there and enjoy.. preferably with a picnic complete with your favourite bottle that you have tasted on tour.
Bring back wine in a suitcase unless you have it wrapped properly in plastic wine travel bubble bags (they sometimes sell these at the winery). OR, if you are not that organised, wrap bottles VERY carefully in towels, and place in between layers of similar coloured clothes in the middle of your suitcase. And then pray. I am always that person silently praying at the luggage carousel.
Well I hope that these tips have helped and if you have any other queries or questions on how to travel vinously in style… well maybe not style but definitely in comfort and confidence, then please email me at wine@ameliasinger.com
To see how we fared after this video tune into my blog next Friday!!