Taste Washington weekend is here! The highlight is the Grand Tasting. It takes place Saturday and Sunday at Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle.

Here are six ways to maximize your enjoyment of the event.

1. Take public transportation or rideshares to and from

Even for people being very mindful of their consumption, alcohol accumulates. For this reason, I strongly discourage anyone from driving to or from this event. If you do, bring a designated driver.

Instead, take advantage of public transportation or rideshares. You’ll be able to enjoy a more relaxed event and won’t have to worry about driving home.

2. Have a plan

There is more wine than you could possibly taste at the Grand Tasting, with over 200 wineries represented. It can be overwhelming. For this reason, I encourage people to go in with a plan.

I’ve previously listed some personal recommendations of wines to taste. Other approaches could be to visit wineries that you are unfamiliar with, to focus on a single variety, or to visit old favorites while sprinkling in new ones.

3. Visit wineries you definitely want to try first

Even if you have a plan, you might not get to all of the wineries on your list, as the event gets busy. For this reason, I recommend visiting the ones that you definitely don’t want to miss early.

This way, you won’t run out of time and miss them. Additionally, the wines are less likely to be poured out, which can happen.

4. Spit the wine out

Yes, it sounds disgusting, but this is what professionals do. Why? It decreases the amount of alcohol that you consume, and it allows you to safely sample more wines.

How do you do this? I recommend walking around with a small paper coffee cup and spitting the wine into that. (There are usually cups available at the event.) Then, pour the cup into the dump buckets at the tables. (Pro tip: Doing this allows you to avoid spitting directly into the dump bucket and the potential splash back. Eww.) Note, even when you spit out wine, you still absorb some alcohol.

5. Use the dump buckets

Just because you’ve been poured a taste of wine does not mean that you have to drink it all! Instead, sample the wine, spit it out as I’ve recommended above, and then pour the rest into the dump bucket.

This will allow you to enjoy more wines during the event. More importantly, it will help you avoid overconsumption.

6. Take a pour of wine and step aside

Some tasting tables can get exceptionally busy during Taste Washington. Additionally, some winery workers and attendees love to talk.

Some of that can be fine, but don’t bogart the tasting table and block others from getting a pour. Rather, once your wine is poured, step to the side so that others can access the table.

BONUS TIP

Don’t wear any perfume, cologne, or other strongly aromatic substances. It interferes with your and others’ ability to smell the wines.

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Those are my suggestions! What are yours? Leave a comment here or on Facebook.

Have a great, safe time at the Taste Washington Grand Tasting!

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