By the time you are reading this I am probably somewhere in the Russian River Valley sampling some of my favorite Zinfandels. As I was planning this weeks excursion I found myself wondering what is the right number of winery visits per day?
The visits I have planned will include vineyard tours, tasting and likely some barrel samples. A few of my visits will probably last only 90 minutes or so but others where we will be driving to a vineyard might take well over two hours. I ultimately decided the right number of visits for this trip was two per day. This will allow me to not be rushed on any of my visits as well as ample time for a good lunch. On both days I will be meeting friends after my visits and wine will certainly be involved so this factored into my decision as well.
It is hard to believe that when I first got into wine that five visits per day was the norm. I do think three visits is doable provided they are spaced out appropriately. Maybe 10am, 1pm and 4pm?
For those wondering my itinerary is Ridge and Carlisle today and Bucklin and Limerick Lane tomorrow. Stay tuned for reports on my visits in the coming weeks.
Would love to hear what your day looks like when you visit wine country. If you have time please comment below.
Had my first half day off since harvest started and the wife and I hit up Scribe and Pax. Two wineries in one day is sufficient.
100% agree. Cheers.
Tom, I think that you are exactly right. Two is my preferred number. My brother prefers three and that’s doable, but it’s a more challenging day (and often less enjoyable evening). When in the wine country, I usually will have dinner with friends, which is additional wine so my strong preference is two. Rick DeGolia
I spent almost 3 hours today at Limerick Lane. Two is definitely the right number for me.
It’s not a simple answer. Nevertheless, 3 per day is my max, and it depends on how close/far apart the wineries are. The further apart, the fewer wineries you can visit. You mentioned dinner as a factor. I think lunch is a factor as well. Where and when are you going to eat? Did you pack a sandwich to eat while you drive between wineries? Are you having lunch at a winery? Are you driving yourself, or did you hire a driver? There are a lot of factors to consider when scheduling your visits. Gone are the days of the drop in visits, which would allow you to add a visit at the end of the day. Everything has bee so scheduled the last few years (Covid or not).
What about other factors like how much wine do I drink or spit or pour out? Appreciate the thoughts.
I recently visited Ridge and Limerick Lane in the same day. One or two wineries per day is my preference.
2 is perfect. Bucklin and Limerick Lane alone today took almost 6 hours including the 45 minute drive between the two.
Two tastings seems perfect. More than that results in “palate fatigue” for the average wine drinker. We have a flexible schedule of a morning tasting, a light lunch, and an afternoon tasting. That gives time to rest and compare notes before going out to dinner. A third of fourth tasting inevitably results in a loss of focus on too many wines in one day, in my opinion. I would much rather revisit a particular wine that grabbed my interest than run to a third or fourth winery.