Wine Tasting. Don’t be that guy.

By Leticia Borges.

If you’ve ever watched American Idol you would know the concept of a blind spot is alive and well. Many contestants are great.  We won’t take that away from them. Many others are bad and they know it but don’t care. The group that intrigues me the most are the people who live in a blind spot and are convinced they’re super talented when, in reality, they stink.

“Blind spot” guy is everywhere.  He’s at school, in the office and at the movies.  He has done it all and knows it all.  His stories are bigger. His problems are greater. He has more of everything and did it all better. He’s climbed higher, has traveled further and, wouldn’t you know it, has farted louder. He loves the sound of his voice. Oh, and of course, he knows more about wine than anyone you’ve ever met.  These people don’t have the basic ability to know they’re being annoying.

What makes blind spot guy so annoying? Here’s a list of the top 5 things blind spot guy does to annoy others in a tasting room:

• He needs attention – Recently, I ran into blind spot guy. He walked into the tasting room as if he owned the place. He started his interaction with the person pouring the wine by saying loudly “what the hell does one have to do to get a drink around here?” He thought his joke was funny but, in reality, it set the tone for the rest of our experience at that winery. Dude, I get that you’re full of personality, but basic respect for others is a must in and out of the tasting room.
• He wants to get to know you – When I’ve just met someone, I don’t expect to be interrogated about my life. It’s okay to turn to other people in the tasting room and introduce yourself. Maybe even let them know you’re on vacation and ask where they’re from. What I find completely unacceptable is to immediately follow that question with “So what do you do for a living?” or “are you guys married?” Don’t be that person.
• He’s constantly trying to convince everyone he has more wine knowledge than anyone else in the room. He asks the very specific technical questions that he thinks will impress the people around him. What’s the % of residual sugar? What type of trellising do you use in the vineyard? Being a showoff is a turnoff. Somebody should put that on a t-shirt.
• He’s impolite – Wine is the product of someone’s dedication and effort. The process of growing and harvesting grapes is grueling. When everything in the vineyard goes as planned, someone has to follow an equally trying process to extract and ferment the juice. When that goes as planned, it’s blended, aged and bottled. Wine, in my opinion, is a form of art. When you produce your own wine, in your own backyard, Mr. Blindspot, then you can have an opinion about someone else’s wine. I’ve heard blind spot guy tell other people in the tasting room “you should go to Winery X. The wine is much better over there”. This is particularly rude if you’re in a family owned winery. Typically, these are small production wineries and the employees with whom you interact are likely the son of the winemaker or the daughter of the owner. Don’t criticize the wine because you don’t like it. Be nice. If you don’t like the wine, keep it to yourself and don’t drink it.
• His goal is to get drunk – This guy is on vacation, so he deserves to have a good time. He even hired a driver, so he thinks getting hammered is expected. Why would they be serving alcohol if it wasn’t? If you’re looking to get drunk, go to a bar. Asking for larger pours or multiple repours is just bad form. This is a tasting room. The idea is for people to experience the wine without having to commit to the entire bottle.  The idea is not to drink the entire bottle yourself.

Keeping it classy in a wine tasting room is not that difficult. You just have to be pleasant and respectful.  If you can’t be those two things, stay in your blind spot bubble, drink your boxed wine at home and try not to annoy the rest of the world.