Tasting Room Ettiquette

Intimidated about visiting a tasting room because you are unsure about proper wine tasting ettiquette? 

First of all, stop worrying.  There's a lot of unecesarry snobbery in the wine world, and most of the people who are uber-snobs are just trying to show off because they feel insecure in other areas of their lives (take that "wineaus!").  On the other hand, there are certain ettiquettes that you should follow when wine tasting, simply out of courtesy for those around you.

• Don't ever, ever, ever, ever pour your own wine in a tasting room.  It is extremely rude to do so, and you'll probably get thrown out.
• Don't chew gum while tasting.  It's not rude, but it is really silly because you won't be able to taste anything but gum while you are tasting.
• Don't feel that you have to finish a wine you don't care for.  On the same note, don't say something rude like "yuck," or "that's a bad wine."  Instead, rephrase to "I don't care for that wine," "I liked the other one better," or "That's not my type of wine."
• Don't ask the pourer for bigger tastes.  They pour a certain amount for a reason and they will think you're rude or an alcoholic if you ask for more.
• If you want to revisit a wine to affirm that you do like it and want to buy it, it is perfectly acceptable in most places to ask to revisit it if you do so politely.  Same goes for tasting a wine that is not included in the tasting you purchased.  Remember, asking for more wine is asking for a favor, and should not be voiced as a demand.

A trick to looking less like a tasting room novice:

Don't mention the movie Sideways.  We all love the movie, but the world of wine extends way beyond that movie.