What is Wine Tasting Like? An Enoteca Guide
If you’ve never been to an Enoteca Wine Tasting event, this guide will help you feel comfortable coming your first time.
Do I need to make a reservation?
Our weekly Friday and Saturday tasting events do not require a reservation. Just show up from 4-7 on Friday, or 12-7 on Saturday. When we hold a mid-week event, a Saturday night event, a beer tasting event, or any other type of special tasting event, it will probably require reservations. You can call at the last minute to see if there is room (208-457-9885) or better yet, buy your seats well in advance.
Generally, ticketed events such as beer tastings and Thursday wine tastings are “classroom style” events that start at a specific time, usually 7 pm, and go for 1.5-2 hours. When you attend an event like this expect to go through the wine at the presenter’s pace, learn a lot, and have opportunity to interact with the presenter, be it wine maker, beer maker, or other sort of smart guy.
What is a flight?
When we talk about Wine Flights, it’s just jargon to indicate a series of wines. The concept is to taste a couple ounces of several wines, as opposed to having a “full glass” of one wine. This helps you to compare different wines, styles, and flavors, rather than just drinking a glass and stumbling home.
Are there snobs?
Please don’t be intimidated by the aura of elitism that traditionally surrounds fine wine. We’re all learning, everybody starts somewhere, and Enoteca - Fine Wine & Beer is a safe place to try new things and explore what wine has to offer. The staff is friendly and happy to answer any question, and there have only been a few snobby customers in the history of our wine tastings, but they don’t come back often.
What does it cost?
Whenever you come into the store we will have something open and available to taste for free. During the wine tasting event, however, we charge a nominal fee. There are usually two options: glass pour and flight. The flight usually consists of 3-5 wines at $10, and usually 2-3 oz. of each. The glass pour is usually one 5 oz. glass for $5 or $10, depending on the wine. This is meant to satisfy your taste buds after your flight if you find one you really enjoy. These are typical numbers, but to find out the exact fees for this week’s tasting, see the most current newsletter.
Sometimes this is different due to the value of the wines being poured, but our pouring events are always priced out to simply recover cost on the pour, not to make a “wine bar” or restaurant level of profit. Our goal is not to become a bar, but to give you the opportunity to taste wine in hopes that you’ll find something your palate agrees with to buy and take home!
What should I wear?
Wear whatever you’re comfortable in, assuming it is legal in public places.
One thing that can enhance the wine tasting experience is to forgo the perfumes and colognes. Since a huge part of taste comes through the nose, having less interference from other sources when tasting a wine can give the taster a truer representation of that wine.
May I drink beer?
If you or your beverage partner do not enjoy wine, but want to experience the social aspect of Enoteca, feel free to buy a beer off the shelf or from our beer cooler and open it here. We’re fully licensed to pour beer by the glass and do not charge extra for opening on premise.
I have a question not answered here…
Please feel free to email us with any questions, and if it seems to be a common one, we’ll update this page. Otherwise we’ll get back to you as soon as we can! Email us here.
Do I need to make a reservation?
Our weekly Friday and Saturday tasting events do not require a reservation. Just show up from 4-7 on Friday, or 12-7 on Saturday. When we hold a mid-week event, a Saturday night event, a beer tasting event, or any other type of special tasting event, it will probably require reservations. You can call at the last minute to see if there is room (208-457-9885) or better yet, buy your seats well in advance.
Generally, ticketed events such as beer tastings and Thursday wine tastings are “classroom style” events that start at a specific time, usually 7 pm, and go for 1.5-2 hours. When you attend an event like this expect to go through the wine at the presenter’s pace, learn a lot, and have opportunity to interact with the presenter, be it wine maker, beer maker, or other sort of smart guy.
What is a flight?
When we talk about Wine Flights, it’s just jargon to indicate a series of wines. The concept is to taste a couple ounces of several wines, as opposed to having a “full glass” of one wine. This helps you to compare different wines, styles, and flavors, rather than just drinking a glass and stumbling home.
Are there snobs?
Please don’t be intimidated by the aura of elitism that traditionally surrounds fine wine. We’re all learning, everybody starts somewhere, and Enoteca - Fine Wine & Beer is a safe place to try new things and explore what wine has to offer. The staff is friendly and happy to answer any question, and there have only been a few snobby customers in the history of our wine tastings, but they don’t come back often.
What does it cost?
Whenever you come into the store we will have something open and available to taste for free. During the wine tasting event, however, we charge a nominal fee. There are usually two options: glass pour and flight. The flight usually consists of 3-5 wines at $10, and usually 2-3 oz. of each. The glass pour is usually one 5 oz. glass for $5 or $10, depending on the wine. This is meant to satisfy your taste buds after your flight if you find one you really enjoy. These are typical numbers, but to find out the exact fees for this week’s tasting, see the most current newsletter.
Sometimes this is different due to the value of the wines being poured, but our pouring events are always priced out to simply recover cost on the pour, not to make a “wine bar” or restaurant level of profit. Our goal is not to become a bar, but to give you the opportunity to taste wine in hopes that you’ll find something your palate agrees with to buy and take home!
What should I wear?
Wear whatever you’re comfortable in, assuming it is legal in public places.
One thing that can enhance the wine tasting experience is to forgo the perfumes and colognes. Since a huge part of taste comes through the nose, having less interference from other sources when tasting a wine can give the taster a truer representation of that wine.
May I drink beer?
If you or your beverage partner do not enjoy wine, but want to experience the social aspect of Enoteca, feel free to buy a beer off the shelf or from our beer cooler and open it here. We’re fully licensed to pour beer by the glass and do not charge extra for opening on premise.
I have a question not answered here…
Please feel free to email us with any questions, and if it seems to be a common one, we’ll update this page. Otherwise we’ll get back to you as soon as we can! Email us here.