The majority of visitors to Northern California’s Napa Valley wine region expect wine tastings to be free, but most Napa Valley wineries have been raising their tasting fees consistently over the last decade. Free tastings in Napa Valley are becoming few and far between. On average, you can expect to pay between $5 and $25 per tasting. Tasting with food pairings, with cave tours, or with barrel tasting can cost as much as $80 per person.
With more visitors each year than Disneyland, perhaps Napa Valley wineries simply grew tired of providing more than 8 million complimentary tastings annually. In the last year alone, the appointment-only Caymus Vineyards tasting room went from free to $25 per person, while the renowned Napa Valley winery, deli and picnic stop, V. Sattui, began charging $5 per person. Rombauer Vineyards has also raised their tasting fee from complimentary to $10 per person.
There are still a few strategies the informed wine lover can use to lessen the blow of winery tasting fees. The majority of wineries are willing to waive tasting fees with a bottle purchase [...]