NewbE

<It should also be mentioned that if wineries have free tasting, it's etiquette to purchase a bottle of wine from them >
Here, here!! Can you say that again? And again. And again.

I try to be polite about it--really I do--but it sets my teeth on edge when people say, "We're going wine tasting, yay, who pours for free?" and they have zero intention of purchasing any wine. Zero. The wineries are not magical bars where your money's no good. And it's called "tasting"--rather than drinking--because the purpose is for patrons to sample wine they are considering for purchase.

Nothing wrong with having a budget! And there's nothing wrong with deciding not to buy a bottle. Have good intentions, that's all I ask.

indyhiker

This is precisely why we likely won't be doing much tasting, free or otherwise. I'm not interested in trying to fly back home with wine and I otherwise feel really guilty if I taste and then don't buy (unless I just don't care for the wine). I think we'll just stick mostly with hiking and kayaking....

NewbE

Oh gosh. Now I feel I was too doctrinaire. indyhiker, you sound like a person with good intentions, so I would not discourage you from visiting a winery Who knows, you might opt to have it shipped home...??

travelgourmet

I'm not interested in trying to fly back home with wine

As an FYI, it is actually pretty painless.

indyhiker

We're not big enough wine drinkers to warrant shipping wine from CA, but I am curious as to how to make it painless to fly with. We're trying to pack light, but when we plan both sightseeing and outdoor activities, we end up having to pack more in the way of clothes and gear. Add in camera equipment, and space ends up being a premium. I can see packing a bottle or two, but not much more than that. But if you have suggestions, travelgourmet, please share. Thanks in advance.

travelgourmet

I simply buy a shipper box from the winery, pack it with 12 bottles and check the box as luggage. Grab a cart at the airport to help move it, but it otherwise it is straightforward.

NewbE

We do as tg does; we also ship straight from the winery sometimes, especially if a special shipping rate is offered; and we pack a bottle or two in checked luggage occasionally. These are handy, and are sold at many wineries: http://www.amazon.com/Wine-Skin-Wine.../dp/B0033C6FOM
But I have also just swaddled a bottle in clothes inside the bag and never had a problem.

indyhiker

Thanks for the tips!

tenthumbs

topping for upcoming trip.............

and just a few question for the OP:

battlemttravel, have you already made your trip? If so, what did you find? and what is your idea of "affordable" tastings? For me, $20 is about the top end of my limit........

otherfootloose

californiawineryadvisor.com is a good resource for tasting room information for regions all over the state. They used to keep an updated list of "free" tastings available as well.
Its an interesting site because it rates winery experiences through visitor-submitted reviews- similar to the TA format-and it also has visitor information such as lists for things like best hikes, kid-friendly wineries, best picnic grounds...stuff you can really use in your planning.

An area that I hadn't seen mentioned in the thread is the Suisun Valley, which is a bit east of Napa. Having only read of it I can't speak from experience, but there was some good press about it a couple of years ago. At that time the "free tasting" was pretty common there. ( That's about 3 years ago)

Tasting discounts are pretty readily available through coupons, which can be found all over the internet sites- even groupon!- and different regional programs. Most of the online coupons are 2-for-1, but I have seen them on specific winery sites for freebies.

I know that in Sonoma County the B&B alliance offers a tasting pass that is good for about 20 wineries; it used to be free for lodgers, but I think now there may be a small fee for the card, but then your tastings are free. If you are one of those folks who likes the B&B style lodging this is worth checking out.