Wine and taste on vacation

DThe holidays are yet to come, or for many, they have already begun. We all know the feeling: relaxing at a campsite, hotel, or apartment in the Netherlands or abroad. Unwinding after a year of hard work. With a charming vineyard near your accommodation where they offer tastings and sales of delicious wines.

We all often visit such a vineyard and, as always, let ourselves be tempted to buy a few wines from the range to enjoy during our holiday. And, of course, we take a few bottles home to hold on to the holiday feeling.

Experience mode

Research has shown that during our vacation or another moment of relaxation, we are in a different mode of taste and experience than during work. Therefore, we are much more inclined to like something that we would normally consider to be of slightly lower quality.

I speak from experience, as I recently went along on a trip to purchase a new house champagne for a major hotel chain. We ended up at a supplier of a stunning champagne somewhere between Épernay and Reims, the area where the Tour de France covered several stages this year.

My colleagues and I had three wonderful days there. We tasted various champagnes and enjoyed a lavish dinner. At the same time, we enjoyed the summery weather and the fantastic view over the French countryside.

On the last day, we selected a Brut, a Rosé, and a Demi-Sec champagne as the house champagne for the hotel chain and had 1,200 bottles transported to the Netherlands. Subsequently, we tasted the champagne with a number of colleagues. Their taste experience was entirely different from what we had experienced in France. And yet, it was the same champagne that we tasted in La Douce France.

My advice is: enjoy the wines and all the other wonderful things during your vacation, but back in the Netherlands, simply buy your wines from your trusted wine merchant or specialist. Then the taste will always be good!

Also read the other column by Jorrit Hoexum: “Wine with food or food with wine?”