What to Wear to a Winery
Planning the Perfect Outfit for a Day Spent at a Vineyard.
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Meandering through lush green vineyards, slowly descending sloped rows of vines, and admiring the immaculately manicured property of a well-established winery. Add in that certain subtle-yet-visceral hum one earns after a few sips of a perfectly chilled glass of white — what’s not to love?
For these very elemental (albeit romantic) reasons, wineries are often the chosen setting for weddings, landmark birthdays, and various special events. The only question is; what does one wear?
Follow this guide to dressing for your next session of high-brow day drinking.
Traversing the terroir of a picturesque winery is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but come unprepared without the proper footwear, and you could just be forced to enjoy the experience from the sidelines.
Without a pair of sturdy, walkable shoes, those romantic rolling hills and slowly sloping vineyards can easily start to look more like slip ‘n slides and dry-cleaner's bills. That said, you do need to walk the line between “cultured” and “agriculture”.
Our advice is to look for something with a reliable rubber tread underfoot and a sleek (preferably leather) upper that wouldn’t look out of place paired with some slightly dressier pants.
Sipping fine wine under the sun isn’t exactly the most taxing way to spend a day, but like any activity worth partaking in, it comes with its own set of hazards – one in particular being the sun itself. Time flies when you’re having fun, which means it’s very easy to expose yourself to direct sunlight for prolonged periods of the day without realizing it.
For this reason, we always recommend you bring your favourite wine-drinking hat with you when there’s an entire day’s worth of wine to be enjoyed. Whether that comes in the form of a classic ballcap, a refined bucket hat, or anything else, saving yourself from sunstroke and dehydration can only mean more wine for you.
A polarized pair of sunglasses are by far the best – and best looking – way to protect your eyes in bright light. They’re also adept at providing tired eyes with some temporary respite from the public view, which can prove very useful following a plentiful lunch where ample wine has been served.
Whether you’ve found a quiet spot in the sun to shut your eyes for a moment or you’re assessing how far away the clusters of Chardonnay are from harvest, a tasteful pair of shades will ensure you appear to know precisely what you’re doing.
Just because you might feel one with nature (especially after a few glasses of vino) while strolling through those rolling vineyards, dressing like you still belong to greater society is just one of the prerequisites that accompany a day spent at an upscale winery.
One very easy, very tasteful way to do so is with a pair of tailored trousers. When wearing more refined details like front button tabs, side adjusters, and perhaps a pleat or two, you’ll be more easily forgiven for any and all Tomfoolery that comes as a byproduct of a few spectacular glasses of Pinot.
Linen and warm climes – it’s only natural. The loose, airy weave of linen looks at its best when worn in a more relaxed cut and with a charming wrinkle, which makes it the perfect fabric for a simple, laid-back shirt.
The forgiving cut of linen shirts is fantastic for ventilation and airflow on hot days but is also useful for accommodating more understanding attitudes towards diets and indulgences. Whether you tuck yours in or not is your prerogative, though typically shirts with tails look a touch smarter when they are.
