Wine tasting in the Rhone,Mosel and Rhine Valley

We will be traveling through the 3 valleys next month and I'm interested in wine tasting along the way. What is the proper etiquette when you come upon a wine grower that is offering a wine tasting. Are you obligated to purchase a bottle of wine or can you just sample along the way? I can drink just so many bottles and don't want to bring run of the mill bottles home .(through customs)

I realize that in the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York they charge a fee of 1-2.00 for sampling and therefore you are not duty-bound to purchase.

Good question that. You will find that most vintners of this area will let you taste a few wines without any obligations to buy. Still, it is considered proper to take a bottle or two which will cost you some 10-20 marks (5-10USD). However, this is impractical for long distance travellers and large parties and therefore the following is a much better procedure, which I and my friends follow: You approach the vintner and explain that you would like a tasting of his wines and offer to pay up a certain amount for the hospitability. An amount of 10-20 marks (5-10 USD) per person will be well received and you leave to the vintner to choose the wines. It is my experience that they will be very generous and given that you show real interest you'll probably get to try some of his/her best wines. The quantity served usually is 5cl per person and wine and spittoons usually are available (me, I drink - no driving Should you get to the Middle Moselle, the Vinothek in Bernkastel at the Cusanus Stift immediately by the bridge is a good idea for a visit. You pay 18 marks, less than 9 USD, receive a glass and enter the vaulted cellars to serve yourself from a selection of about 70-80 different wines of the Moselle valley, from Kabinett to Auslese levels, dry to sweet, and also a number of sparkling Sekts from the reception desk. If you are thinking of seeing the great and famous wineries - get appointments - without one they may or may not receive you... (but most are quite forthcoming, especially if you speak the language).

I can only comment on the Rhone Valley, as it's the one I have experience visiting. First, I wouldn't try to just 'drop in' on wine growers to taste their wine. Most producers are quite small and operated by a single family, so there is no professional hospitality staff. Instead, it's generally considered good practice to call ahead and arrange a tasting. If you do that, then it really makes sense to schedule tastings only at places where you have a reasonable expectation of buying their wine. Even if you don't have room to carry back their wine, letting them know that you intend to buy it in the US is a reasonable gesture of good will. One easy way to do this is to get the name and phone number of their US importer (assuming that they have one). A good resource for contact information regarding wineries in France is the Guide Hachette, available in translation in the US. Also, you can contact the various toursit bureaus for a guide to their wine regions.

HTH

Mark Lipton

Visit www.spaghettitaliani.com

Thank you very much

Luigi