The do’s and don’ts of Barossa wine tasting

Visit the famous Barossa Valley region and taste award-winning wines from high-profile wineries.

The Barossa Valley is a beautiful wine region in South Australia, less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide. People all across the country and the world make trips to the Barossa to see the rolling vineyards and taste some of the very best wines.

Whether it’s your first wine tasting or you’ve done a couple, here are a few things to keep in mind while tasting the Barossa wines.

Do wear comfortable clothing

Typically a lot of people tend to dress up nicely for wine tastings, but dressing comfortably is key, especially for footwear. Wineries could have grassy areas, uneven ground, and paved walkways, so heels can usually be quite difficult to wear during these cases.

Do ask questions

There aren’t any stupid questions to ask! The staff will be more than happy to answer all questions you have. And no doubt, you wouldn’t be the only one in the room thinking of the question.

Don’t be a know-it-all

Whether you’ve been to a few wine tastings or enjoy your wine, just don’t be a wine snob at your tastings. Take a step back and listen to the staff who’s talking about these wines and ask questions to confirm your suspicions on anything. After all, a wine tasting is supposed to be an enjoyable experience so let’s keep it that way.

Do make notes on what wines you enjoyed

It’s so important to make some notes about the wines you’re trying. Write down what you liked about it and the occasion or food you could pair it with.

You can come back to these notes later and online order or at the end of your tastings select the wines you’d like to take home.

Don’t mention if you don’t like the wine

We all know we can’t like every wine we taste, but it doesn’t mean we should say it in front of the staff member who possibly had involvement in making the wine.

If you’re not a big fan of the wine you can say thank you and smile to show good manners. Or if you’re asked about the wine, you can say it was okay but you preferred the previous wine you just tasted.

Do enjoy yourself

At all wine tastings, make sure you enjoy yourself and don’t overthink it too much! It’s all about the experience and having fun with family or friends while tasting all kinds of different types of wines.

Why not put these to the test and book a Barossa Valley wine tasting tour? You’ll stop by selected wineries to taste wines and also enjoy some food along the way.

Cameron Ward

Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia

Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.