Wine Tasting Dos and Dont's
When you visit Burgdorf’s Winery, we hope you learn a little, laugh a lot, and maybe step outside your comfort zone and try some new things. But however you approach your tasting, our ultimate goal is for you to enjoy yourself. Many guests ask how to best approach a tasting, so we’ve put together a simple list of Tasting Room Dos and Don’ts to help guide you.
Before You Raise Your Glass
- Be responsible. Our pours are taste sized, but depending on how many wines you plan to sample; those ounces can add up. Having a designated driver is always a smart plan.
- Be free of fragrance. Heavy perfumes/colognes or smoking can reduce your ability to appreciate the aromas and taste of the wines.
- Have a party of 5 or more? Give us a call at (517) 655-2883 so we can help you plan the best time to visit.
- Locate us! We are a Truly Michigan™ Garagiste Winery, which means we produce artisan wines from Michigan fruit and are literally located in a garage. It might look like a house, but open that garage door!
While You’re Raising Your Glass
- Ask questions. Our staff enjoys talking about wine, the wine-making processes and tasting techniques, so ask away!
- Be open-minded. Although you might generally prefer white wines, the idea of doing a tasting is to expand your preferences, so go ahead and ask for that red! Our staff can help guide you make choices based on your preferences, as well.
- Be aware of those around you. If the Tasting Room is busy, please step away from the bar when you’re not actively tasting.
- It’s okay to dump. Guests often feel that it is rude to pour out wine left after tasting; however, if it’s not your preference or you’d like to be able to taste more without the impact of alcohol, we have dump buckets set out for just that.
- Palate cleansing. We will give you crackers for cleansing your palate between tastes. A cracker or two helps you appreciate the differences between the wines. If you are gluten free, just let our staff know and we will get you an alternative.
- Sip slowly. It’s hard to appreciate a wine if you chug it, so take your time with your tasting.
- Relax! There’s no right or wrong wine preference so just enjoy yourself!
Before You Leave
- Buy some wine! We hope you find some wine you just can’t live without and that you’ll purchase some to enjoy at home. Your purchases allow us to continue to operate and make new wines!
- Do I Tip? We are asked this often, and while it’s certainly not required, our staff always appreciates knowing when they’ve done a good job.
After You Leave
- Review us on Facebook! If you had a great time, please review us!
- Talk to us! If you feel like something could be improved, let us know! Our ultimate goal is for you to have a fabulous time and we are always working to improve ourselves and the experience.
- Tell all your friends! Referrals are a huge part of our business!
- Tell all your stores! If your favorite store doesn’t carry our wine, ask them to! If you let us know who you’ve asked, we’ll give them a call!
- Tell all your favorite restaurants! If your favorite Burgdorf’s wines are not on the menu, please ask the restaurant to consider including them. If you leave them our contact information, and let us know you, we will be happy to reach out to them!