Wine Tasting Prices in Wisconsin

Most wineries charge a fee to taste their wine. However, a few still allow free tastings, or a limited number of free tastings.

I like visiting Wisconsin wineries and tasting the extensive selection of great-tasting wines. Once upon a time, wine tasting was simple and easy. You would walk into a winery and tell the server you want to taste wine. Friendly as always, these servers would gladly accommodate and pour samples of wine. Then things changed.

Some thought of wine tastings as a great way to get a buzz for free. Aside from the obvious legal issues this could cause, it also chased away people who wanted to enjoy and support the wineries by purchasing the wine. Winemakers, in response, decided to limit the amount of a person to sample. Some went further by requiring one to pay for a tasting. Most understood and gladly paid for the privilege.

Then, COVID almost crippled the wine industry by forcing wineries to close or severely limit what they could offer. The financial pressure caused more wineries to consider payment for tastings, while others increased the price they already charged. Therefore, when the world recovered and returned to “normality,” almost every winery offered some form of cost to partake in wine tasting.

Do free wine tastings in Wisconsin still exist? Yes..., but mostly no. You can find a few wineries that may offer a tasting of three wines (of their selection), but most charge for the privilege—and that is alright.

However, most wineries charge a minimum of $5 for a tasting. Some charge more—up to $20 or more. At least you aren’t on the West Coast, where tastings tend to be in the $40 - $75 range. But I digress. A few wineries allow you to pay for additional tastings. A few offer a tasting of premium wines for a higher cost. It comes down to what you want and are willing to pay.

The days of free tastings are almost a thing of the past. Still, paying for a wine tasting from a Wisconsin winery is worth the investment. Check out the lists of Wisconsin wineries and visit one soon!