Wineries Forced To Go Virtual With Their Tastings During The Pandemic, Slowly Are Opening Tasting Rooms As Summer Begins
by Heather Cassell
Wineries rushed to prepare to open their tasting rooms as the State released new guidelines giving wineries the green light to start pouring again earlier this week.
California’s wineries were promptly shuttered in March with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Napa cautiously opened its wineries earlier this week as did San Luis Obispo County wineries in Paso Robles and the Edna Valley. This weekend, Sonoma County will open its wineries that don’t offer food service June 12. Wineries that served food or partnered up with food trucks opened at the end of May.
“Our wineries are excited to reopen and welcome guests,” Bobby Koch, president of the California Wine Institute, told Decanter.
“We wanted to reopen our hospitality experience as quickly and safely as possible to welcome our local friends back,” Opolo Vineyards owner Rick Quinn told the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “I think we had all been waiting for this moment — to get back out and do the things we love to do here on the Central Coast.”
Some wineries, such as Justin Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles, successfully embraced virtual wine tasting events engaging its current customers and attracting new Justin fans in the process.
We “embraced the virtual tasting format,” Clarence Chia, the winery’s senior vice president of marketing, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer, told the Tribune. She explained that Justin Baldwin, the founder of Justin, and the winery’s team of wine educators shared “in-depth stories and tasting notes for wines across the Justin portfolio.”
“So far, we’ve had great feedback and have enjoyed watching how these platforms are keeping us connected with existing customers, while also building a new community of Justin fans,” Clarence said.
Opening Safely
The wine industry is looking to peers in Washington State and other states where restrictions on wineries have lifted and safety measures have been implemented.
Emma Swain, CEO of St. Supery, is a member of the Napa Valley Vintners’ new vintner task force that is tasked with identifying and developing guidelines that wineries of all sizes can adopt in the Napa Valley, she told the Napa Valley Register.
“In typical Napa Valley spirit, we’re all sharing as much information as possible and figuring out what’s best for our teams and the safety of our visitors,” said Emma.
She looked to Sonoma County wineries with restaurants that opened at the end of May, and Washington state wineries, which opened in mid-May, for ideas and best practices that are working along with the state’s new guidelines for Napa wineries to follow for employees and guests.
Depending on the county, wineries are offering special reservation-only seated tastings, reconfigured tasting rooms and policies to maintain social distancing, and taking other safety measures, such as changing your glass with each sip and swirl, as wine lovers are allowed to return to tasting rooms.
In Monterey County’s Carmel Valley Bernardus Winery Heather is advising guests what to expect under the new guidelines when they make their reservations.
“When guests call to make their tasting reservation, we will instruct them on the practices that will be expected,” Heather Rammel, tasting room manager for Bernardus Winery, told the Monterey Herald. “We will ask guests to come in wearing a mask. We will provide hand sanitizer, and escort guests to their table, where we will deliver pre-poured flights of wine.”
Cheers!
Oenophiles are rejoicing as wineries tasting rooms are being allowed to reopen just in time for the summer.
Wine lovers are eager to belly up to the tasting bar. Let’s just face it, bellying up to your kitchen counter or home bar, pouring from your own collection as you sip and swirled in place at a virtual tasting event during the pandemic just isn’t as fun as being at the winery with friends and fellow wine aficionados.
California’s wine regions are anticipating an increase in drive-through tourism from nearby counties to get them up and running again.
Wine tours will have to be redesigned and only household groups will be allowed, no mixing, according to Novi, reported the Register.
As soon as Grgich Hills Estate in the Napa Valley announced its reopening earlier this week the winery’s phones have been “ringing non-stop,” the winery’s Assistant Marketing Manager Megan Arnett told the Register.
“We’ve had so many people reach out to us, which has been really uplifting, because we wondered if they would be more cautious,” Megan said.
Like many wineries, its tasting room has been reconfigured to encourage outdoor seating. It will operate at 50% of its regular capacity and staff won’t serve more than one group at a time, she said.
“We’re thrilled to welcome guests back to the La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard to enjoy both indoor and outdoor tasting experiences,” Adam Jaime, La Crema’s estate manager, at the Windsor winery in Sonoma County wrote in an email interview with the Times-Herald. “With our increased offerings, we continue to observe social distancing and implementing measures to keep our guests safe and ensure they have a safe and positive experience.”
The winery offers guests a variety of seating options for tasting. They can sit outside on the patio overlooking vistas of the Russian River Valley, they can enjoy a tasting in the winery’s historic barn, he said.
Sonoma County Tourism cautioned visitors from rushing to wine country. Not all counties are welcoming visitors as various restrictions remain in place from county to county. The tourism bureau also issued a staunch warning to visitors that their health is their own responsibility, reported the Times-Herald.
