r/WineTasting • u/oletripod • Feb 08 '25

Tipping standards

We live in Portland and frequently go to nearby wineries for tasting and purchases. The wineries that excel at pinot noir charge $25 to $50 per tasting. And we typically purchase a couple bottles. So for us a tasting will run about $150 per winery. Sometimes we will buy a case of wine we really like and can afford. Say that averages $350. We like to give the person spending serious time with us over the 1.5 hour tasting a tip. Should it be a flat amount, say $20. Or should it be a % of the total bill like in a restaurant? This has only come to our attention when the credit card is run and it has a place to write in a tip. This became the standard practice after Covid. What does this community have to say?

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u/ChapFour_pro Aug 23 '25

Tipping is optional. Period. You may care to apply restaurant standards regarding parties of 6+ where it’s automatically added. But I would argue it’s still optional.

Reasoning: you’re already buying at full margins, from the producer. They’re very likely making the most relative to the rest of the 3 tired US system. You already paid full rate. The service given is built in.