Since we want your wine tasting experience to be one of enjoyment and fun as well as memorable, we offer the following tips on your tour through the Santa Ynez Wine Country:

• Make sure you eat before you go wine tasting.
• Stop at the grocery store and buy snacks or sandwiches and bottled water for your journey. Many Tasting Rooms offer small, pre-packaged snacks or full-on meals and will provide you with “tap” water or offer bottled water at a nominal price (usually free to Designated Drivers), in case you forget to bring your own.
• Drink the water you bring or purchase. Eat the food you bring or purchase.
• Please, skip the perfume and cologne. Not only is much of your palate reliant on smell, your fellow tasters will appreciate this decision.
• Don’t be afraid of the Dump Bucket or Spittoon. ALL Tasting Room staff will encourage you to share tastings OR dump OR spit out wine. Please, we do not take offense to any of these choices.

Many of you choose to rinse your glass after every pour. We only encourage rinsing when going from a red varietal to a white and only rinsing with wine. Again, please drink water and stay hydrated. We promise, it will not ruin your serene feeling from the wine. If there are eight or more tasters in your party, please call the wineries ahead of time and make a reservation. Most Tasting Rooms have specific “group” policies. We thank you very much for visiting the Santa Ynez Valley and especially The Brander Vineyard. We look forward to your visit. The Brander Tasting Room Staff