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American wineries call for curb on drunken visitors
October 10, 2007
Panos Kakaviatos
In an effort to curb drunkenness, the Temecula Valley Wine Association in southern California is asking people not to visit too many wineries.
Wineries are grappling with visits too often ending up in drunken excess, according to winery reps from New York to California.
'It is a really centred around limousines and buses, with a lot of people thinking [as they are not driving] they can drink as much as they want,' said Ray Falkner, president of the Temecula Valley Wine Association, based in southern California.
'They are not a hazard on the road, but they are a hazard in the winery – they are very boisterous, rude, obnoxious and disruptive. If you have an entire bus load or limo group, it hurts the entire tasting experience for other guests,' Falkner told decanter.com.
'There is not a winery in the valley that has not had it occur,' added Falkner, whose association represents some 21 wineries.
He has called for greater responsibility from the bus and limo drivers. 'They cannot be responsible for every participant, but they are responsible if they have a group that is already intoxicated and they decide to take them to yet another establishment.'
Local television recently highlighted the same problem in New York's Finger Lakes wine region, with some wineries issuing yellow or red warning cards to groups which get too rowdy.
But one limo driver, Stewart Alexander, told Rochester, NY-based wham13 television, 'So long as they're not destroying property, being boisterous and having a good time is what wine tours are about.'
In the Napa Valley, the problem is less pronounced, according to Daryl Sattui, owner of the V Sattui Winery in St. Helena, partly because most visits cost money.
'Some regions perhaps are more desperate to attract people, but Napa is the wine mecca. We put up a little bit of a filter in the form of paying to taste,' he told decanter.com. 'We seek serious tasters.'
Sattui agreed that groups can pose a problem. 'A lot of wineries may not admit it, but they are not in favour of limos,' he said. 'If people are intoxicated, we do not serve them, if they ask for seconds and thirds, we cut them off,' he said.
Have your say...
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 Thank you for giving this issue more attention; it's certainly encouraging to see other wine regions adopting similar policies to what we've initiated here in the Finger Lakes. I strongly believe that the problem will diminish as more press on this topic is shared with the general public. It's disappointing however, to see quotes such as Stewart Alexander's included as his attitude contributes to the problem. He is sorely mistaken to believe that the line should only be drawn at the level of destroying property. This is only one of many problems arising with chauffeured group tours. What about public intoxication, excessive profanity (or any for that matter), indecent exposure (it happens), and violations of open container laws to name a few? Truly, a visit to wine country should be about educating oneself on the types and styles of wines produced in a region, experiencing the local cuisine and specialty products, taking in breathtaking scenery and relaxing while meeting other people. Of course people should have a good time on their wine tours, but it's quite unfortunate that some people are confusing this experience with the "bar crawl" version of "having a good time."
John McGregor, Vice President, McGregor Vineyard & Winery, USA
Bravo! Someone spoke out about this problem. I travel to wine expos , and I cannot understand just why the public is allowed, just hours after the trade? There have been numerous occasions, where I need to purchase cases, and someone comes along, intoxicated, and interrupts our conversation and purchase. I am so turned off by this!! If anyone in the trade, hear's me, please change this!! There should be events for the trade only!! If you want a expo, and have consumers to make money, have the days separated, so other trade personnel can enjoy a day without the public!! To completely understand this, a customer never went to a wine expo, asked me, what goes on there? I explained in such detail, the customer response was, you bet your ass for $60.00 or $70.00, I'm getting drunk !! This has been a upward trend, and needs to be addressed!! A day for the trade , another day for the consumer, sounds fair enough to me!! Hope someone hears my plea . Deeply concerned!!!
Anon
How tough is this? You throw them out. To aptly quote Archibald MacLeish, 'We are like a bunch of old ladies tiptoeing about, pretending not to notice the drunk on the floor.'
William Hatcher, A to Z Wineworks / Rex Hill Vineyards, Dundee, Oregon, USA
As a resident of St. Helena and Napa, I applaud this action. We have to contend with limos and buses almost all year round and the passengers are often boisterous and rude to residents as well as people working in the shops and restaurants. Visitors don't seem to realize that there are residents here and they are visiting our home town. Although getting drunk drivers off the road is very helpful to us (including the cyclists), I agree that guest think they can drink to excess and often do. They are indignant when the wineries close at 4 or 4:30 and have no place to go until the restaurants open at 5:00 or 5:30. So you often see limos along the road and guests running in the vineyards or dangerously taking photos on the side of the road. We are happy when people from all over the world visit this place of natural beauty and romance, but a little dignity would be welcomed.
Patricia Butler
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