A New Way to Taste Wine: Connection, Laughter, and Stories in Every Pour

We’ve always believed tasting wine is about more than notes and jargon. It’s about connection, stories, and making people laugh until they nearly spill their glass. by Chad

A few weeks ago, I was pouring for a couple visiting from out of state. About two wines into the flight, I asked what they liked to drink at home. She said, “Honestly, I don’t think I’m a wine person. I never taste the things people say I’m supposed to taste.”

I smiled. “Perfect. That means you’re doing it right.”

We’ve approached tasting this way for years, but over the last year, we’ve been putting it into words for our team. The goal is simple: when people leave, they should be more relaxed, more connected, and happier than when they walked in. Sometimes that happens with a really special wine. Sometimes it happens when we all end up laughing so hard that someone nearly spills their glass.

It starts with connection

You can’t fake connection. You have to read the room – or in our case, the table. Some guests want to dive deep into vineyard blocks, clones, and fermentation styles. Others are there for the view, the conversation, and something delicious in the glass. Our job is to figure that out quickly and take them in the direction they’ll enjoy most.

For some, that might mean starting with something bright and fresh – like our Estate Chardonnay, made in that crisp Chablis style that surprises people who thought they “weren’t Chardonnay people.” For others, it’s jumping right into a red, maybe even a taste of our Pinot Noir that’s earned the nickname “Life-Changing” from more than a few guests.

Sometimes connection comes from the wine. Sometimes it comes from the conversation that happens around it. Most often, it’s both.

Forget the jargon

Wine talk can make people feel like they’ve stepped into a high school chemistry class they didn’t sign up for. The moment we say “wet stone” or “forest floor,” someone is thinking, “I don’t taste that – am I wrong?”

The answer: no.

Watch this quick video for a laugh – it’s the perfect reminder that tasting wine “wrong” is impossible.

We all taste differently. Around here, we celebrate that. I’ve seen it in our own cellar work, one of us will pick up something earthy in the Reserve Cabernet, another will get dark fruit, and someone else will swear it’s all about spice. None of us are wrong. That’s the point.

Tell the story (and make it fun)

Every wine has a story – where it was grown, how it was made, what the season was like. We share those stories in ways that make people want to lean in, not tune out. That could be pointing to the slope where the Chardonnay is growing, explaining why Jeana decided to let the Pinot “show off” in the winery, or telling the tale of a harvest day when the Cabernet was just pulled off the vine and it snowed like 24” the next day.

The details matter, but so does the delivery. If we can get you to smile, we know the wine will taste better.

Why it matters

A tasting room isn’t just a place to pour wine. It’s a place to create moments. The wine is important, but the feeling you take with you is what will last. People might forget the exact notes in a wine, but they’ll remember that afternoon they laughed until their cheeks hurt.

We love doing this work – growing grapes, making wine, welcoming people here – and we’re still learning every single day. Your visits, your laughter, your curiosity are what keep us going. We’re grateful you’ve chosen to follow our journey, and we hope the wines you take home carry a little bit of this place, this season, and this shared adventure with them.

Thanks for being part of it. We’ll see you at the table.

Cheers,