Wine-Tasting Rooms

The first tasting rooms were probably established by the Greeks and Phoenicians in their trading settlements along the Mediterranean during the period from 1500 to 500 BCE and quite possibly even earlier, by wine sellers in the ancient world. Tasting rooms, whether they are attached to a winery, an estate vineyard, or a merchant’s business, are simply showrooms to display, taste, and sell wine.

The physical plant of a tasting room can be as simple as a few folding chairs and a card table in a wine cellar or as elaborate as antique furnishings and old master paintings at a wine merchant. Many tasting rooms are an integral part of modern wineries, which use them not only as sales points but also to establish brand loyalty. Some have restaurants (the laws permitting) and sales areas for a variety of items, from locally produced foodstuffs to souvenirs. In California many wineries have extensive tasting areas, and some sell their wine across the country directly to the consumer. While this sales method is traditional in Europe, it can run afoul of some states’ laws. If this situation, which is yet to be resolved, is decided in favor of the wine makers, it could have a dramatic effect on the way small-production wines are sold. Many distributors and retailers fear that luxury wineries will take their tasting rooms on tour, leaving them with only the large commercial wines to sell. Such retailers have lobbied against any out-of-state liquor sales, citing grievances ranging from the loss of tax revenue to the illegal purchase of spirits by children. Whatever the resolution of this issue, the tasting room experience enhances the understanding of the product as much today as it did in ancient times.