09/07/05 Tasting fees

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and recently a listener wrote to ask "Why is it that more and more wineries are asking for a "tasting fee" when we go to sample their wines?" Yes, it seems that many more wineries are asking for a tasting fee when you sample wines. When I ask why I get just about as many answers as number of people that I ask. Some maintain that the cost of opening up wine day after day depletes their stock and becomes very expensive. These folks are mainly charging to offset the cost that they incur when giving samples. Some wineries will deduct the fee from any wine purchase that you make. They stipulate that it rewards the buyer, and after all, by offering samples it is a customer that they are hoping to cultivate. Very often, during a special celebration tasting, the winery will charge a tasting fee and you get to keep the commemorative glass. During these special events many of the wineries may serve elaborate food. Those attendees with less advanced social skills often abuse the concept of food samples. It ruins it for many who understand that this is a sample and some should be left for the groups who follow  if you catch my drift. Which brings me to another response - charging keeps the riff raff out. Meaning; those who visit the wineries with nothing more in mind than drinking free wine. They never buy anything. They often drink too much and make it miserable for the rest of us. If you are going wine sampling for recreation it is the price of the ticket. If you are sampling for the serious purpose of buying wine, the fee will most likely, be deducted from your purchase. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.