It's been a few years since I've been out to Napa & Sonoma, and I've heard that more and more of the wineries now charge for tastings. What percentage do? Which ones?

mainly curious.
thanks

Went to Francis Ford Coppula's wineries this summer. They charge ($7.00 i think) that includes 4 wines and you keep the glass.

Very nice setting. Did not take the tour because it had just left and we didn't want to wait another hour for the next one.

ALmost all of Napa charges, almost all of Sonoma does not.

Thanks for the info. It's too bad it has come down to nickel-and-diming for tastes/samples. They certainly make out well by offering tastes; who would think they'd get this greedy?

When you give out 100's of tastes a day it can be costly. Would you rather pay more for a bottle?

Napa is the only place I've been to that charges yet their wines are no cheaper than elsewhere. I don't think the others are raising the prices to accomodate free tastings.

I remember at Markham, that the flight tasting was either $5 or $7. For that we tried either the whites or the reds. The reds were outstanding, and worth every penny. At Coppola, they were pouring some of their Rubicon at $5. and this bottle sells retail for $60-70 if you can find it. A bargain in my opinion.

obviously when you pour out hundreds of small samples it does add up, and so do the hundreds of bottles and cases sold as a result of giving out those samples.

The wineries are charging only because they can get away with it. Napa has become very crowded with tourists, and people are willing to pay. Tastings bring many hundreds of people by every day, and many make purchases, otherwise they probably wouldn't bother stopping in the first place.

If people shunned these thieves you'd see a rapid turn-around in how they "welcome" their customers. People don't go out of their way, traveling from all over the place, to visit their favorite wineries for a free swallow. They intend to buy.

obviously when you pour out hundreds of small samples it does add up, and so do the hundreds of bottles and cases sold as a result of giving out those samples.

The wineries are charging only because they can get away with it. Napa has become very crowded with tourists, and people are willing to pay. Tastings bring many hundreds of people by every day, and many make purchases, otherwise they probably wouldn't bother stopping in the first place.

If people shunned these thieves you'd see a rapid turn-around in how they "welcome" their customers. People don't go out of their way, traveling from all over the place, to visit their favorite wineries for a free swallow. They intend to buy. That's how I see it anyway.

Some of the wineries in Napa, as I recall, charged for tasting, but if you purchased a bottle, you were given a discount.

Many will refund the tasting fee with a purchase. I for one am glad they started this, over the years "tasting" has gotten to be a way for a cheap snack instead of going out to lunch for a lot of people. As a serious buyer, I got tired of fighting the crowds.

Farmer John: "Bessie! It's 'bout time for my fav-or-rite TV show Green Acres and I would like a little snack -- I'm downright hungry after working that back 40 all day!"

Wife Gladys: "Oh John! I done told you the Buick was broke down and needed a new U-joint. I couldn't get out and run to the Piggly Wiggly today for your Ruffles, cream cheese and pork rinds."

Farmer John: "Damn, Gladys, you did tell me that this morn, I just plum forgot. Nervermind though, we'll just hop in the pick-em-up and run over to
Robert Mondovi's for one of them free wine lunches. <he-he-he>"

Dear "wino,"

You started out this thread by making a bland inquiry, and stated that you are only "mainly curious." Yet, over the next few postings, you become more and more aggressive in your tone toward the wineries, and are now calling them "thieves." Methinks you have an agenda here. Do you have a bone to pick with these wineries? And did you start this thread in order to have a venue to showcase your anger? Because if so, you nothing but a little winotroll.

Everyone wants something for free now-a-days.

I started this post on a hunch that there are "no free lunches" for winos any longer, since I'm heading back to Napa next month for the first time in a few years. In another post someone mentioned $ charges for what used to be free tastings, so I had to ask.

If most wineries now deduct the costs of "free tastings" from any purchases made, then that seems reasonable to me. Otherwise it just seems greedy to try and make money on a half-mouthful of wine from each potential customer.

No apologies here.

XXX is right, what is wrong if wineries want to charge for tastings. If you don't want to pay, don't go there.

Some of you are confusing tasting with drinking. The idea is to expose people to their wines not offer free drinks.

some of the wines they taste cost over $50 a bottle. Why should that be free?

Any serious wine drinker would gladly pay to taste better wines that may be in limited supply if there were fewer freeloaders.

My guess is that the people that are complaining about the cost of tastings are probably not likely to spend the money to purchase some of the beter wines anyhow.

Do you all walk into restaurants and ask for free tastings!!!???

There is no free lunch. Get over it. Besides most of the people are mooches that buy the cheap wine anyway. I say nail em with a charge while there.