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Should wineries ban children?
Categories: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Teens & tweens, Fun & Activities, Places To Go, Alcohol & Drugs
I don't know a whole heck of a lot about Dr. Vino's wine blog. I'm a wine enthusiast if not a connoisseur. I can barely even spell connoisseur. That said a recent poll on Dr. Vino's blog centered around a controversial topic: kids in wineries.
Apparently there is a winery in Napa Valley, called Sattui Winery, that has a no children on premises policy. Dr. Vino wanted to know our thoughts on the matter. More than half the commenters responded in the affirmative, but a good portion disagreed and said a winery was no place for children.
Yet on the other hand many wineries tout themselves as an ideal stop on the family vacation. Wine offers culture and is part of the American pastime, not to mention there's a ton of history involved and it's scientific. Wine seems to offer something for everyone.
I can see both sides of this argument. Why promote drinking to people who aren't old enough to drink? Are we just setting our kids up for alcoholism problems later? I mean, with the current state of young Hollywood it would seem we can't be too overly cautious.
Plus, the parents will most likely be drinking. I mean, you're not supposed to--you're supposed to spit it out. But who does that, really?
Yet, that said, I don't know whom I would find to watch my child while I visited a winery. Would my husband and I have to take turns visiting? That sounds like no fun. Inevitably we'd have to coax some poor family member into traveling all the way to California with us just to wait outside with our child while we enjoyed the tour.
A quick check of the Sattui Winery website did not uncover for me anything stating that kids were not allowed on the premises. I'm sure a phone call in advance, should you be interested in visiting, clear that right up.
But, let's say it's true for the sake of argument. Would other wineries follow suit? If so there would be a real boom for the daycare industry in that region. Of course you'd have to pay even more for childcare while you were on vacation. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to visit some place that wouldn't allow my kids.
I mean, hey, it's one thing if I don't want to lug them around with me all day, but totally another thing for someone else to tell me I can't, right??? :)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Amanda 10-05-2007 @ 10:06AM
I went to a winery with my sister and her husband(BIL), they had their one year old with them but my BIL (the driver) didn't drink, my sister and I tasted wines and I mean only TASTED and we still got buzzed. so I can see where people shouldn't take kids. I wouldn't unless I for sure had a designated driver. I would not be at all offended if a winery told me that I could not enter with my two girls. I would wait until I could go with just me and my hubby.
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shelly 10-05-2007 @ 10:49AM
I live about a hour from Napa. Invariably, out of town visitors want to go up there in the summertime - when it is blazingly hot outside. There is no more pleasant place to be temperature-wise than a winery. Many are made with stone walls and are blessed relief from a scorchy sun. Not too far from there are a number of kid friendly places to go - Sonoma Train Town for one. No, I'm not leaving my kid home. Yes, wineries are interesting - as are many forms of agriculture. No, I do not feel it is anyone elses place to tell me how to shelter my child or how to educate her on not drinking and driving or not imbimbing prior to age of consent. Wineries are not bars. Are we going to stop children from going to restaurants that serve wine too? Or how about those wineries that host weddings - no kids there either? Goodness knows I've seen a decent amount of sketchy alcohol behavior in restaurants, but winery-goers are usually well in control.
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Eric 10-05-2007 @ 10:59AM
It seems that there's a bit of denial about kids drinking... even the "good kids" drink.
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RobMonroe 10-05-2007 @ 11:01AM
I would not think that all wineries would carry this policy, but I could understand where ONE winery in a location with SO many others would institute this policy. If the owners have a choice, and they obviously do, they want to be a place that adults know they can go and not be around children.
Cruise ships have areas designated "No Kids" for the same reason. If people do not mind being around children, they can choose to go to another winery.
Now that I have a daughter, I would probably choose to go to one that allows children. Five years ago, I would have chosen a place with no children if given a choice!
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michelle 10-05-2007 @ 1:32PM
I also live near Napa/Sonoma and have gone wine tasting with my daughter (now 6), though I prefer not to. It is a more relaxing experience when you don't have to worry about your kids breaking something. But I also have no problem with any winery banning kids - like upscale restaurants, it is all about the environment. Adults only is appropriate at certian locations. (I have to laugh at this one, though, V. Sattui is the biggest tourist trap in Napa with huge crowds, mediocre wine and bad service, not relaxing at all.)
I do hate the puritanical attitude toward drinking and the crowd that believes parents should never drink if children are anywhere in the vicinity. I grew up with parents who didn't drink, and I still partied hard my first couple years of college, now I'm a moderate drinker. My brother only has the occasional beer. I prefer to model responsible drinking for my daughter, not make it seem so foreign that she is completely curious to try it.
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Judy 10-05-2007 @ 5:37PM
I wonder when this policy was instituted? I haven't been there since our munchkin was born, but before that, I've visited V. Sattui with friends and their kids. The kids obviously did not partake of the wine tasting, but V. Sattui has beautiful grounds with picnic tables perfect for Al Fresco dining.
Frankly, I don't see what the big deal about having kids around a winery is. Don't take your kids if you don't want to worry about watching out for the them while you taste. Make sure your kids behave if you do take them. It's not like it's a bar.
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SKL 10-05-2007 @ 8:19PM
I guess it should be more about atmosphere than anything else. As with restaurants - among those that serve alcohol, there are some where I'd have no problem bringing my kids, and others where I wouldn't want to bring them. And I suppose if I did go to such a kid-unfriendly place, I would not want to deal with other people's kids there, either. But just keeping kids away from a place because it is associated with grape vines and a product that is made therefrom seems quite silly to me. Most likely they are doing this so they can have a child-free atmosphere for their preferred guests. I do think they should advertise this very openly, though.
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