What to Wear to a Winery (Your Ultimate Style Guide for Winery Outfits)
What to Wear to a Winery
Wine tasting always makes for a good time! When delicious wine, breathtaking views, fun people and perfect weather surround you, the last thing you want to worry about is your outfit. That is why I put together this ultimate guide on what to wear to a winery. This style guide will not only answer what to wear wine tasting but also go over many style tips, outfit ideas, what to wear during different seasons and it’s full of outfit photos!
To start, let’s review some general winery outfit style tips. These are tips that apply to all of your wine tasting outfits no matter location or season! Keep these ten style tips handy when you’re packing for your wine region adventure.
1. Wear Comfortable Shoes: If you’re planning to sign up for a wine tour or have a long list of wineries you plan to visit, wear comfortable shoes. But comfortable doesn’t have to be sneakers. Instead of sneakers, wear flat sandals, wedges, loafers, or even some nice slides. Also take into consideration which wineries you will be visiting which means you might be walking in grass, dirt, gravel or cobblestone.
2. Go Hands-Free and Small with Your Purse: When you’re wine tasting, you will be walking around a lot, holding and reading brochures, tasting cheeses or chocolates, and of course, holding various wine glasses. So it’s best to wear a fuss-free bag. Also, if you carry a purse without a strap, you run the risk of leaving it behind or setting it down without keeping an eye on it. The best purse to wear to a winery is a small crossbody bag, like the super stylish Mini Marcie from Chloe, the classic Soho Disco bag from Gucci, or mini monogram crossbody from Saint Laurent.
3. Layer a Blazer or Cute Denim Jacket: If your winery outfit is looking a little simple, add a stylish layer. Depending on the season you could wear a denim jacket in the summer, a floral blazer in the spring, a long cardigan in the fall and a coat in the winter. Make sure this layer is not too bulky as you want to move freely no matter the season.
4. Go More Dressy Than Casual: Leave your leggings at home! Even though wineries are basically farms in the country, don’t think you can throw on jeans and a t-shirt and call it a day (unless of course you want to, but you wouldn’t be reading this post if you did). Opt for a little more dressy than casual. I still think that wine tasting is a pretty posh activity, so I try always to dress nice and classy. If you’re wondering how it is that you can dress classy read, How to Dress Classy – 7 Style Tips You Need to Know.
5. Low Maintenance Hair: Your wine tasting attire includes your hair so wear your hair up or style it in a way that doesn’t need maintenance throughout your wine tasting activities. If you’re planning on being out all day on the wine trail, I would suggest putting your hair up in a ponytail or bun. This way you won’t have to worry about it getting frizzy, going flat, and you won’t have to mess with it during your wine tasting tour. If I have some extra time in the morning, I’ll blowdry it, so it looks nice down.
6. Wear Chapstick: The main activity while wine tasting is drinking wine so instead of lipstick wear chapstick. You don’t want always to be checking your lipstick or re-applying when you get to the car. Keep it simple and wear chapstick.
7. Skip the Strong Perfume: You will be smelling a lot of wine trying to decipher what notes are most prominent, and you don’t want other smells interfering so skip the perfume! Not wearing perfume is also courtesy the group you’re wine tasting with and other guests in the wine tasting room or cave.
8. Wear a Pretty Print: If you need to bring some interest to your wine tasting outfit, swap a solid for a print. Instead of a solid blue dress, wear a dress with horizontal stripes like in my outfit example below. Wear a floral shirt in the spring, stripes in the summer, plaids & tartans in the fall and houndstooth in the winter.
9. Easy is Better: Don’t wear an outfit that is too high maintenance. What you wear to a winery needs to be comfortable and stylish, but remember point four, nothing too casual either.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Wear White: There’s nothing wrong with wearing white to a winery. I have worn white jeans wine tasting, just see my outfit examples below. If you know you spill a lot, then I would suggest skipping the white.
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What to Wear Wine Tasting in Different Seasons
When going on a vacation to Napa Valley, there are many choices to make. You need to consider where you’ll stay, which wineries you’ll visit, the time of year you’ll go, and what you’ll pack.
Packing the appropriate wine tasting attire is not necessarily tricky; you need to consider the locations you’ll be visiting and the time of year you’ll be going.
My favorite seasons to visit wine country is spring and fall because it’s not too hot or too cold. You don’t have to worry about sweating or getting sunburned. If you’re planning a trip to Napa Valley, I would suggest one of these to seasons. But let’s go over what you need to consider for each season and what to wear wine tasting in the spring, fall, summer, and winter.
What to Wear to a Winery in the Spring
The weather in Napa during the springtime ranges from the high 60s to low 70s during the day and mid to upper 40s in the morning and evening.
Napa Valley in May is chilly in the mornings and evenings, but the daytime temperature is perfect. Perfect to me is the 70’s, so if you like it a little warmer during the day, I would recommend waiting until last spring or early summer to visit Napa Valley.
In the spring pack more sweaters than you expect. Keep the sweaters handy in your car if you don’t plan on going back to the hotel before going to dinner. It’s also useful to keep them in the car when the tasting room is too cold or if you want to enjoy a glass of wine outside in the winery patio and it’s too breezy.
What to Wear to a Winery in the Summer
Summer in Napa Valley is pretty warm and sunny but this is what draws so many people from around California and beyond because it’s so beautiful! The temperature in the summer ranges from 80s–90s during the day and can cool down to the mid-50s at night.
In the summer opt for light colors, pretty prints, in light fabrics. Instead of jeans, wear skirts, shorts, and dresses.
If you do want to wear pants wear chinos instead of jeans. Chinos are very comfortable because it’s not very thick and not too tight. These two things would make this wine tasting trip very uncomfortable.
What to Wear to a Winery in the Fall
September is my favorite time of the year to go wine tasting because the mornings and evenings are crisp, but not too cold, and the temperatures during the day range from the 80s–90s. It’s the end of summer but not entirely fall. It’s the perfect time to enjoy a glass of wine on a winery patio or deck and take in the gorgeous views.
But fall is also one of the busiest times to visit Napa Valley because it’s harvest time. Harvest in the wine regions means the grapes are getting picked from the vines and many wine enthusiasts travel from all around to enjoy harvest events and special activities. Make sure to plan accordingly.
What to Wear to a Winery in the Winter
The most significant difference before spring or fall and winter, in addition to the temperature, is the crowds. If you’ve visited Napa Valley in the busy months, you know what I’m referring to regarding the masses. The tasting room at wineries is ten people deep, and you have to make your way to the counter. In the winter Napa has an entirely different feel, it’s peaceful, quiet and you have some places all to yourself.
In terms of weather, it gets pretty chilly in the evenings. Temperatures go down into the high 30’s in the evenings and during the day are in the mid to upper 50’s. I would pack plenty of layers because it can get warm in wineries.
If you’re planning on going wine tasting in the winter here are a few things to consider.
Just like any other time of year, wear comfortable footwear. You’ll be walking and on your feet, a lot so wear flat shoes or shoes with a thick stacked heel. This type of shoe is best for days filled with wine tasting and tours.
Make sure to bring a comfortable and warm sweater. If you decide to wear a thinner sweater, then layer on a coat. But if you don’t want to lug around a large jacket wear a very warm sweater instead. In the outfit example below I wore a thick olive green turtleneck sweater. I love the oversized collar and distinct fabric patterns; it brings texture and dimensions to an otherwise simple outfit.
With the large sweater and high black boots, I wore light colored skinny jeans. Remember; the balance is critical. (Read How to Look Stylish Every day – Your 5 Step Checklist to learn more about creating a balanced outfit). The boots are thick and heavy so to balance the boots I wore jeans on the lighter side instead of charcoal or black. I also wanted the shoes to stand out, and if I had worn black jeans, you wouldn’t have even noticed the boots.
It’s best to wear thinner skinny jeans with high boots such as the ones I’m wearing because you want the boots to fit snugly around your calves. The last thing you want is your jeans bunching up around your ankles.
You might have noticed a theme in the notes I mentioned. Comfort is key. You can be stylish and comfortable; you don’t have to sacrifice one or the other.
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Wine Tasting Outfits
There are a variety of stylish wine tasting outfits you can wear to wine destinations such as Napa. The variation exists because of activities, weather, and destination. The two critical details that you need to make sure these outfits are stylish and comfortable.
If you’ve been wine tasting, you know that there is a lot of standing, walking, and more standing involved. You need to wear an outfit that is comfortable with these various activities.
When putting together an outfit find a middle ground. An outfit that is not too dressy but not too casual either. You’ll need to wear a wine tasting outfit that you can wear all day and smoothly transition into evening dinner if you don’t plan on going back to your hotel to change.
Neutral Wine Tasting Outfit
The first wine tasting outfit is a blend of neutrals and one gorgeous printed top. The halter top is the main piece in this look, and the olive green cargos and wedges are the shirts supporting items. The cargo pants downplay the fancy, and the wedges keep the pants looking classy. With the natural color palette, this outfit is in its perfect setting.
The blouse has a pretty nature pattern which added the right amount of interest without it being an overpowering single piece. This outfit has a delicate balance of stylish but casual which I was able to achieve with the color and fabric choices.
A neutral outfit to wear wine tasting goes perfectly with this wine country activity since it’s such a relaxing atmosphere and the landscape of most wineries are earth-toned. This outfit will also work with flats or sandals if wedges are not your favorite thing to wear wine tasting.
If you’re wondering what to wear wine tasting remember: month, location and landscape. Put together a stylish and comfortable look and bring an extra pair of shoes just in case.
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Stylish Wine Tasting Outfit
For a stylish approach consider a striped shirtdress. In this outfit, I went with a look that was more “dressy” but still had the feel of a casual weekend look. The relaxed fit of the dress and the strips make this dress wine tasting appropriate. I know wearing heels while wine tasting is taboo, but I couldn’t help but wear those gorgeous laser cut heels. The two paired perfectly together.
I know what some of you might be thinking, “you’ll spill red wine on the white,” but take it from someone that spills a lot, you can wear white wine tasting as I mentioned in the ten style tips at the start of this post.
This shirtdress is both stylish and comfortable. All you need is a few accessories and a cute pair of shoes.
Monochrome Wine Tasting Outfit
When a lot of walking is involved consider a cute pair of sandals. Remember I said cute pair of sandals, not flip flops. Keep it stylish even though you’re toning it down. With these casual wine tasting outfits make sure you have a focus point and something that still keeps the outfit classy.
In this third outfit, the sandals were the contrasting pop of color to the blue monochrome outfit. When wearing pants and a blouse of very similar color make sure the pieces are made from different fabrics. This top is a different material and hue of blue from the pants. The shiny silk looks excellent against the muted blue chinos. The blue structured patent handbag gives this casual wine tasting outfit structure, and again it’s a different material and color from the other two blues in this outfit.
Remember when you want to wear the same colors in one outfit, select different materials with a slight change in color, that can also mean shiny. In this outfit, the pants are muted, the silk top has a sheen to it, and the handbag is shiny.
Cute Wine Tasting Attire
The last outfit is something that would work for wine tasting locations where walking on dirt would be minimal. Overall it’s a cute and casual look, and the patterned pants added some individuality, and the heels dressed it up a bit.
Since the pants are very busy, I wanted to keep the rest of the outfit neutral. I paired these patterned pants with a blouse that matches one of the colors from the pattern.
With this chiffon blouse and a basic tee in the same color, I layered the light chiffon blouse over the shirt and created an airy, pretty layered look. The pop of color in this look was the handbag and the orange heels. These colors work well together because they’re all in the warm color family. The browns and oranges with a splash of red are appealing to the eye and come together nicely.
Planning Your Trip to Napa Valley
Wine tasting in Napa is a unique experience in my list of favorite places to visit. Napa brings together so many beautiful things that I love, from good food and wine to gorgeous landscapes and a relaxing environment to disconnect from the day-to-day.
With more than 400 wineries (600+ if you count Sonoma) you are sure to find a wine that you’ll love while wine tasting in Napa. If you are limited in time, at most you’d be able to visit 15 wineries during a weekend, well maybe you could do more, but I wouldn’t advise it because you’ll get too tired or too drunk.
My advice is to do some research ahead of time and make a list of the wineries you want to visit. There are popular locations like Sterling Vineyards, Beringer Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Castello di Amorosa. But there are smaller gems where you can maybe find the best Merlot you’ve ever had. If this is your first time visiting this wine region make sure to read my guide on The Best Napa Valley Wineries for First-Time Visitors
The style of trip you wish to experience should help determine the tasting rooms you visit. If you want an intimate visit where you get to talk to the winemakers and learn insights into what makes their wine special than I would look for smaller tasting rooms.
If you’re looking to see castles, take a ride at Sterlings ariel tram and see where the most famous wines from Napa come from then I would organize a route for the larger vineyards.
Peter and I have visited the famous wineries and the smaller ones during our wine tasting trips in Napa. This September we made an effort to visit smaller vineyards with cozier atmospheres, but we deviate by visiting Beringer Vineyards to have a tasting of there reserve wine and of course a cheese plate.
We tend to plan, but if you’re wine tasting without any specific plan that works too. You can start driving and stop at the first place that looks appealing.
I hope you now know what to wear to a winery and these style tips help you put together cute wine tasting outfits.
Do you have additional questions on what to wear wine tasting? Leave me a comment below!
Stay Stylish,
-V
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Lilyanne Rice
Napa Valley in the fall and spring time. Here is the last outfit in the Stylish in Napa outfit series.
Lilyanne Rice
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The Well Traveled Bag
I was so confused about what to wear in a winery, your blog post really helped me a lot! Now I have so many ideas. Thank you Vanessa for sharing this with us!
Cecilie
Where can I get those fantastic sandals? ????