This time of year, the weather in the Russian River Valley can only be described as perfect. Nah, that doesn’t necessarily do it justice. Ideal? Boring. Ahhhh. Epic. The weather is epic. The sun combined with the lush scenery just begs you to take your glass of Pinot Gris (or pick your favorite poison) and enjoy an outdoor picnic with your family. (Insert record needle scratch sound here.) Did he write “enjoy a picnic with your family?” At a winery?
I recently read a blog-posting about the “annoying trend of people bringing their kids to wineries.” And, I have to say that I couldn’t agree less. For those of us in the tasting room – it allows for the oh-so-easy, “would she like a sippy cup of Pinot Noir?” question. (Granted, these poor parents probably hear that at every tasting room they enter, but it’s funny when WE say it!)
The fact is that (for the most part) the parents that bring their kids into tasting rooms usually bring well-behaved kids into the tasting room. These kids aren’t running rampant, jumping on the counter and causing people to spill their wine. Most of them just hang out with their parents, or run around outside. You know, doing what kids do.
We recently had a family of six enjoy a leisurely day on the front lawn of the tasting room. The two kids roamed the grounds, while the four adults broke open (and drained!) two bottles of Zinfandel. I think it’s fair to say that having the kids running around and laughing gave a warm, inviting feel to the property. I spent a good deal of time outside with the family (from Boston), asking about the kids (one was only three days older than my son) and their vacation (visiting a brother in San Francisco). Never once did it occur to me (or any of the others visiting the tasting room during the family’s stay) that they were overstepping their bounds, overstaying their welcome, or generally overdoing anything.
Instead, I think the only over is perhaps the overbearing visitors who despise kids! Having kids around simply reminds all of us about what we’re doing there; Tasting wine. Hanging out. Enjoying ourselves. Since wine is being served, it may seem to be a bit of an adults-only playground, but it’s not. It’s fantasyland for the whole family. There’s a reason why when you tell someone that you’re going “wine tasting” or to “wine country,” there’s some kind of angelic echo as the words roll off your tongue. There’s romance and passion to be had in wine country to be sure. But there’s also the possibility of family wonder and togetherness.
No, I don’t want kids splashing wine, biting the guests, or tormenting Lucy (the official dog). But, yes, I want kids on the property. They bring the kind of naiveté and playfulness about which we often forget. Let’s not take our tasting rooms (or ourselves) so seriously that we can’t enjoy a glass of wine while watching the unbridled joy that only comes with innocence. In fact, the wine should even taste better because of it.
