The Drinks Business magazine had an article on the Eight Bad Habits of those attending Wine Tastings. Mainly journos and in-the-tradies but it could reflect others.
Here are some:
Responses to “Eight irritating habits of people in the wine trade”
1. August 19, 2016 at 1:38 pm
People who stand about chatting in front of the spittoons blocking your way…
Those who taste in large groups (always Restaurants) and hog the table…
LOUD SCREAM
2. August 19, 2016 at 1:51 pm
We had one chap at a tasting who claimed to be a journalist and showed us a ragged piece from a magazine. He then said that if we gave him a couple of bottles he would write a review. He’d even brought his own carrier bag. Was funny the first time but he kept turning up to tastings to blag free wine. Eventually we contacted tasting organisers to ban him from attending.
3. August 19, 2016 at 4:40 pm
Not recognising faulty wines. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve poured a sample from a bottle that is half full, only to discover that it is haloanisole tainted, oxidised, or otherwise faulty. Not only have the stand staff failed to check the wine, but the previous dozen or do tasters haven’t realised it was faulty or alerted them to have it pulled.
4. August 19, 2016 at 5:26 pm
The time a director of a major wine importer, at an in-house tasting, aimed for the spitoon, forgetting that he just had his teeth fixed. A fine spray of wine shot out sideways and made a lovely pattern down the front of a fellow directors new cream linen suit.
Or the time my neighbour, a huge wine snob, was served a cheap wine from a bottle of expensive Italian red. “Absolutely outstanding!” he exclaimed.
Or the time a colleague dropped a cigarette butt into the wine glass of a very, very drunk fellow employees wine glass. He picked up the wine glass and knocked it back, butt and all.
Or the time the boss of the Icelandic distributors team got very drunk at a boardroom lunch and unbuttoned his fly and piddled against a glass wall, to the horror of the open plan office on the other side.
I could go on.
5. August 19, 2016 at 5:32 pm
Heh. Soon after we opened our tasting room we learned to make the spit bucket very clear. We were using a nice looking vase as the spitter, and a customer decided they liked it and proceeded to turn it upside down, looking for a price tag…
6. August 19, 2016 at 7:40 pm
One time at a beautiful seaside venue , a fine upscale hotel, a couple of my customers were so happy, they decided to have a quick “go at it” in the ladies room. The ladies in there weren’t quite as excited.
7. August 20, 2016 at 12:31 am
I had a 400 pound enologist at Ektimo winery scream at me for bringing a flower into a tasting room. claiming I was ruining the bouquet of the wines. As I looked around, I noticed a stinking restroom in the tasting room and smelled the open cess pool right next to the tasting room…..
8. August 22, 2016 at 10:33 am
What irritates me ? the studying classroom atmosphere of tasting sessions, the so called ability to find “incredible color variations” between 2 indistinguishable wines, the so called ability to taste differences, even after 20 wines, the endless ability to find words to describe flavours, and finally (but that’s not from the experts), the docile nodding of the audience, agreeing to anything being told by the “expert”.
9. August 23, 2016 at 2:26 pm
My favorite is when a “trade attendee” baths in so much perfume or aftershave that their ORDOR cannonballs into the room, the wines and everyone else.