Wine Tasting Wisconsin Style

Wine tasting is a great way to learn about the types of wine you like best. It's also a lot of fun!

Practically every winery in Wisconsin offers some form of wine tasting. You probably should determine your goal(s) for doing a wine tasting, or you may leave (still enjoying your time but) failing to realize the purpose of your visit.

Here are some things you should consider before stopping at a winery.

Is this visit primarily an opportunity to get out, socialize, and enjoy the company of friends, entertainment, and the scenery while enjoying various wines?

That’s fantastic!  Many Wisconsin wineries are in scenic parts of the state. Entertainment and activities have become a staple at most wineries. All wineries offer several varieties of their wines for tasting. You may find one, two, or more worth purchasing to take home. This is the upside. The downside is not necessarily bad. But it could affect your thoughts on the wine you brought home.

Don’t get me wrong. I have never regretted visiting a winery, so please hear me out.

Occasionally, we will visit a winery and start tasting and tasting some more. Again, nothing wrong with this approach, so long as we don’t go overboard and violate any laws.

The challenge here is that even if one cleanses (more on this later) after each tasting, distinguishing the taste of each beyond a certain point is difficult. You may think the fourth sample was delicious. Then, opening it at home, find that it tastes different. Nothing is worse than feeling the great wine you tasted at the winery is different at home. The wine may be great, but not how you thought it should taste.

Are you visiting the winery searching for a specific type of wine, possibly for an event?

Wine tasting to find the perfect wine for an upcoming celebration/event is a great reason to visit a winery. You can still enjoy the company of friends, socialize with people, and enjoy the scenery. However, you need to stay on task and remember the primary reason.

Doing a tasting with the purpose should force you to narrow your tasting options. It might even be good to share the reason for your visit with your server. They frequently can suggest specific options to fit your objective. Focus first on finding that wine and purchasing the number of bottles needed. Then, if you want, feel free to explore other wine options if you so choose.

Other Tasting Tips

You can find a bunch of “rules” for wine tasting online. Follow those if you like, but these simple suggestions will make your experience one you want to repeat often.

Dress: This is Wisconsin. We don’t stand on a whole lot of formality at informal gatherings. Therefore, you will see a wide range of fashions. Wear what you want, but make the wine experience the star of the show.

Cost: Some Wisconsin wineries still offer a few samples at no charge. Those are in the minority. Be prepared to pay a charge for the privilege of sampling. Check out the wine-tasting prices page for more information.

Visual: Look at your wine first. Note the color. White wines can vary in color from a slight yellow tint and varying levels of a darker yellow. Reds and fruit wines offer a large spectrum of red. Is the wine cloudy? Most wines should look clear. Let your server know if this happens (and they didn’t tell you it should look that way).

Aroma: Go ahead. Sniff your wine. The bouquet of smell is the beginning of tasting. Does it smell the way the server describes it? The aroma of a wine does not always match how it tastes.

Cleanse: Wines begin to blur after a few selections. Some wineries offer oyster crackers, water, of something else to help so the next wine you taste does not share characteristics of the previous one(s), unless of course, it is supposed to.

Taste: You will often hear your server describe the various flavors of the wine. Not everyone will taste all those flavors. You may even taste a different flavor. Don’t worry. Focus on whether it tastes good and how well you like it.

Notes: We often make a few notes on each wine we taste. You don’t need to, but it does help decide if one or more are worth taking home.

Time: Wineries are no different than other retail businesses. Some times of the day are busier than others. I like to go when they are less busy to command more of the server’s time and learn more about the wine, winery, and other fun information. But that’s me.

Why not plan to do some wine tasting soon? Wisconsin wineries are waiting!