Tips to make the most of your tasting room experience
Can’t decide what to wear inside the tasting room? Fear not — just about everything under the sun goes, which makes people-watching as much a part of the evening as tasting. There will be lots of wine being swished about so if you plan on heading out to eat after the tasting, dark colours could be a smart choice.
Don’t forget a pen or pencil to
■
make notes — and wear comfortable shoes.
Do feel free to use the spit buckets
■ located at either end of the tasting booth, it’s a sure sign you are a pro and the only way you can make it through the evening.
Don’t stand within splash range
■
of the spit buckets, it’s a sure sign you are an amateur.
Do take your recharged glass
■
back to the centre of the aisle and let the people lined up behind get through to the front of the booth.
Don’t wear any perfume or aftershave
■ lotion into the tasting room. It’s tough enough to distinguish the various nuances of each wine without an extra layer of perfume wafting about.
Do take advantage of the onsite
■ liquor store and have your purchases shipped free to your neighbourhood liquor store for pickup the following week.
Don’t even think about driving
■ home. Take advantage of the Free Ride Home program available onsite.
For last-minute tickets to the festival, call Ticketmaster at 604 2803311 or visit the on-site box office at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre West. If you need any more help, I’ll see you inside the tasting room.