Wine Tasting Etiquette

Everything You Need to Know about Tasting Wine in Alsace!

Here's some wine tasting etiquette to help you feel more comfortable and know what to expect when tasting wine in Alsace...

Because you may be a little nervous about walking into a wine tasting room in Alsace.

If French isn't your native language...

Or maybe you only know a few words of German...

Wine Tasting Etiquette

How to Find a Winery in Alsace

One of the first things you will notice when you are driving around on the Alsatian Wine Road is the signs for the wine tasting rooms...

Caveau de Dégustation

or

Dégustation de Vin

It's French for "Wine Tasting Room and Wine Shop"

You won't find many wineries with a tasting room attached to the actual wine production area.

The wine makers need a lot of space to press the grapes, ferment the wine, age the wine, bottle the wine, and then ship it off.

And most of the villages you will be visiting won't have that sort of building in the middle of the village.

So the caveau de dégustation is often in the village and the wine production area normally is somewhere else...

Maybe in the same village...

Or maybe in another village near by.

Wine Tasting Etiquette

Which Alsatian Wines Should I Taste First?

After you have found a Caveau de Dégustation...

You may be a little nervous about it if you don't speak French very well...

And I don't blame you at all...

The first time I did a wine tasting in Alsace, I was too!

So what is the wine tasting etiquette in Alsace?

Ok...if you don't speak or understand French, you can't ask questions about the wine and learn more about how they make their wine or where they make their wine.

BUT...good wine doesn't require translation.

The first thing they will do is give you a list of the wines they have available.

This is the traditional way the small Alsatian wine producers sell their wine...

The bigger wine producers do things a bit differently because they get so many people coming through...like bus loads of people sometimes...

But then the big producers usually have someone who speaks at least some English...

The wine list will start with the lightest of the wines and finish with the boldest ones that they have.

So the pinot noirs, pinot gris, and gewurtztraminers are usually at the end...and the sylvaners, edelzwickers, pinot blancs, and muscats are at the top of the list.

With reislings right in the middle usually...

But that will vary from winery to winery...

If you really want to try a little of everything...

Then start at the top of the list and work your way down to the bottom. If you start in the middle and then go back to the top, the bolder tasting wines will influence your tastebuds and the lighter ones might seem to taste like water.

And if you are planning on tasting a lot of wine...

Find the spit bucket!

And remember to use it!

Otherwise, the alcohol in your bloodstream will seriously affect your ability to enjoy all the wines you will be drinking.

Wine Tasting Etiquette

How to Taste Wine in Alsace

Now that you've located a wine tasting room, you've got your wine list with prices, and you know where the spit bucket is...

You're ready to taste some wine.

But which ones?

This isn't exactly a matter of wine tasting etiquette, but it'll help you enjoy your wine tasting experience a lot more..

If you only want to taste certain types of wine, you'll need to know a few more French words...

If you like sweet or fruity wines...

doux (doo)

As in "Je prefère les vins doux s'il vous plait."

/je prefaire lay van* doo sil voo play/

*"vins" is pronounced like "van" without the "n" sound at the end

If you like dry wines...

sec (sek)

As in "Je prefère les vins secs s'il vous plait."

/je prefaire lay van* sek sil voo play/

*"vins" is pronounced like "van" without the "n" sound at the end

If you like light wines...

léger (layjay)

As in "Je prefère les vins légers s'il vous plait."

/je prefaire lay van* layjay sil voo play/

*"vins" is pronounced like "van" without the "n" sound at the end

If you like dessert wines or really really sweet wines...

vin dessert (van* dehsaire)

As in "Je prefère les vins desserts s'il vous plait."

/je prefaire lay van* dehsaire sil voo play/

*"vins" is pronounced like "van" without the "n" sound at the end

And really...if you taste and spit, you can try lots and lots ofwine and still stand up straight after it all... ; )

So if you don't know a word of French other than "Bonjour"* you can still have fun!

*And it's very important to remember to say "bonjour" when you walk into ANY small shop!

Wine Tasting Etiquette

How Much Does It Cost to Taste Wine in Alsace?

Usually it won't cost you a thing to taste wine in Alsace...

That's the way it usually works traditionally in a small wine producer's shop.

But you are expected to buy a bottle or two of wine which isn't such a bad deal because they can cost you as little as 6€.

That's not to say they don't have some more expensive bottles...

Usually when the winery has a really good year, you can tell by the difference in price...

And the wine for that year will taste really good!

To give you an example...

The last winery I visited had bottles ranging in price from 7€ to 80€.

It is possible that some wineries are doing things differently...

In the most touristy areas, the wineries may give you the option of paying for a full tasting of their wines or tasting their wines and then buying a few bottles...

They probably do this because there is a demand for it which is usually because they are either a very big wine producer OR...

Because they are very well known and get a lot of people coming to their wine tasting rooms...

And therefore...

If they aren't a big wine producer in Alsace yet, they will be very soon...

Either way the person welcoming you will let you know what your options are...

The more touristy tasting rooms are more likely to have someone who speaks some English.

Just remember to speak slowly and clearly to make it easier for them ...

More Information on Alsace Wine

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