Hot tip: when considering a trip to wine country, it helps to know that purchasing a wine membership (or sometimes just a set quantity of wine) will lead to waived tastings fees. These fees add up fast! For reference, we’ve seen fees at our favorite wineries hovering between $60-100 and would consider a $20 per person tasting fee to be a bargain!
Our last visit to Sonoma and Napa Valley featured 10 tasting experiences. Of these, only one visit charged us full price for our tastes. And no, this isn’t a humble brag about how much wineries love to comp the ladies at Witty Pairs! This is our push to you to carefully consider what you like to drink (because there’s no point buying something you don’t like), and what you could reasonably afford to purchase for your own growing wine collection when making reservations.
Oftentimes, a perk of wine club membership is a complimentary tasting experience annually for as many as four to six guests. If you’re already a member of a winery you love, take advantage of this perk when you visit the area! If you attend a tasting at a new spot, love the wine, and can afford to commit to at least a year of membership at their going rate, consider putting that tasting fee toward a bigger purchase that supports your wine buying hobby.
We do understand that the added cost of wine that you just have to have at home does increase your overall spending, but this is a hazard of visiting wine country. In our mind, filling up your home wine cellar (or closet or box under the stairs) is part of the fun of visiting wineries. You end up with wine you know you enjoy and you get to relive the memories whenever you open a bottle. If you don’t want to sign up for a club, a purchase of few bottles is often enough to waive the fee on at least one or two tastings.
Many of the wineries we visited were part of a GEMS program, which extends membership benefits of a dozen fabulous, family-owned wineries in Sonoma and Napa to members of any of the participating wineries. Our parents have long been members of participating winery Robert Craig, allowing us to visit three new wineries with discounted or waived fees through this program.
We also leaned on friends. It’s no secret in life that who you know can get you just as far or further than what you know. That’s definitely true in wine country. Ask your friends who hold wine memberships if they have any benefits to extend to friends and family. Our favorite tasting experience this trip was made possible (and affordable!) by longtime friends who were happy to hook us up with the reservation. Just don’t forget to return the favor when you can!
So there you have it: many of our tricks for a (more) affordable trip to wine country. Are you planning a visit soon? Let us know in the comments!
Witty Pairs 