Through my many visits to wine country I have learned some helpful tips.  I have picked up quite a few things from the people at the wineries, my research online, and from the many tourist guides that I have read through. Here are some interesting tidbits of information that may help you on your voyage through wine country.

Choosing the time of year

Tourist season generally runs from May through October. Be prepared to find large crowds during these times of year. If you can manage a trip outside of these busy months you may find that you have the tasting rooms all to yourself and will receive more personalized attention. My husband and I like to go in February around Valentine’s Day (but not specifically on Valentine’s Day) or in April right before tourist season picks up. Hotels are usually less busy this time of year too. Although we don’t get to see the grapes hanging from the vines at this time of year, it’s still pretty when all of the mustard flowers are in bloom across the vineyards.

Trying to time your visit to see the crush (when the grapes are picked) can be tricky.  Generally speaking, the crush occurs in September and October.  White grapes are picked earlier in the year than red grapes.  However, the exact timing of the crush varies year-to-year based on weather conditions.  It’s also a very popular time of year for tourists.  If you are trying to plan your visit for the crush, you may need to be flexible with your travel dates and do a little research ahead of time to confirm when crush is occurring.  It is not something that can be planned for well in advance because winemakers cannot predict the weather.

Selecting winieres to visit

There are hundreds of wineries to visit in both Napa and Sonoma Valley.  It can be overwhelming when visiting for the first time because there are so many wineries to choose from. Newcomers often head for the names of the wineries they recognize.  Well-known places like Robert Mondavi, Beringer, and Sutter Home attract a lot of tourists.  If you want to avoid the crowds, pick out some of the lesser known wineries.  You may surprise yourself and find a new winery that you absolutely love.

There are ways to make your visit more affordable if you are willing to do a little bit of pre-planning. One way is to look for coupons online. Websites like winecountry.com and cheers2wine.com have coupons with great deals on tastings. Some wineries will post coupons on their own websites, and many wineries are now offering special coupons to people who become fans of theirs on Facebook. You could also download the Winery Finder app on your phone.  There are a few wineries that offer complimentary tastings. This information is usually available on the winery’s website. Another way to save money is to share a tasting with a friend or significant other. My husband and I take advantage of this all the time to cut down on tasting fees or to sample more wines. For instance, we will each do a tasting, one of us gets the basic tasting and the other a reserve tasting and we can do a side-by-side comparison. Most wineries are pretty generous with their pours and you still get quite a bit of wine even if you are sharing.

There are some wineries that require reservations. This can be disappointing to someone who has his/her heart set on visiting a certain winery and learns too late that the winery requires a reservation. It is easy to confirm ahead of time if reservations are required at the winery. This can be done through the winery’s website, guide books, or maps that you can get for free at hotels, restaurants, or wineries in Napa or Sonoma. Don’t be afraid of wineries requiring reservations. Most wineries make it easy to call or make a reservation through their website. Some will take same day reservations. If you happen to visit on a not-so-busy day, you may be able to walk in and make a reservation.

With so many places to visit, here are some suggestions to help you maximize your time.

• While you are eating breakfast or sitting around at the hotel at the end of the day, break out a map (they are available for free online or at hotels and wineries) and pick an area you want to visit for the day. Select a handful of wineries in the area that are within a few miles of each other to limit your driving time.
• Look at when each winery opens and closes. Start with the winery that opens the earliest and end with a winery that is open until 5 or 6 p.m.
• If you want to visit a popular winery, plan to start with that one at the beginning of the day soon after it opens to avoid crowds later in the day.
• Plan ahead where you want to stop for lunch. Some wineries have a restaurant or deli on site or you can stop in St. Helena (in Napa) or Healdsburg (in Sonoma) for lunch.

Wine tasting tips

Always have a designated driver. Don’t drive drunk and watch your speed! The local police are very aware of all the tourists hopping around to the wineries and won’t hesitate to pull you over if you look like you may have been drinking or are driving over the speed limit. There are many guided tours or limo services available to those who do not want to drive themselves around. Even if you have a chauffeur for the day, you will want to take advantage of some of these tips to help you control your alcohol intake.

• Have a good breakfast in the morning. Bring snacks with you to nibble on in the car between tastings. Some wineries serve crackers with the wine tastings. Take advantage of this because the crackers can clear your palate and help absorb some of the alcohol.
• Drink lots of water in between tastings. Dehydration is a common problem, especially in the summer. A good rule of thumb is to drink the equivalent in water as you have in wine.
• Take a couple of sips of the wine and dump the rest (unless you absolutely love the wine so much that you need to finish your glass). There are dump buckets in every tasting room for this specific purpose. The staff does not expect you to drink every drop and will not find it rude if you dump it out. All of those little sips add up over the course of the day.

The most important part of your trip is to have fun and make sure you get the most out of it. Here are some additional tips to get the most out of your tasting experiences.

• Ask questions. That’s what the staff is there for and you never know who you might meet. You could end up talking to the owner or winemaker.
• Take notes. You will never remember all of the wines you tasted at the end of the day. Taking notes also shows that you are interested, and I find that the staff will often give me extra attention when they see I’m writing things down.
• Go ahead and purchase a wine if you really like it and you will probably get your tasting for free. Most places will wipe out your tasting fee if you purchase wine and they may also offer a discount for purchasing the wine there.
• If you are intending to bring wine home with you, make sure to bring a cooler because wine can go bad sitting in a hot car. It is easy to stop at a local market to get a disposable cooler if you don’t have one.
• If you are bringing wine on a plane, ask for a box. Get a box that holds multiple bottles even if you aren’t going to fill it and you can pick up more wine at other locations. You will be able to check the wine box on the plane just like any other luggage. It is a bonus if you are flying on an airline that doesn’t charge baggage fees. I have actually reused the styrofoam casing and packed it in my suitcase so that I don’t have to keep asking for boxes every time I take a trip. Shipping fees can add up quickly when you have wine mailed to your home.