What Is a Flight of Wine? The Complete Guide to Wine Flights, Tastings & Pairings

Walk into any serious wine region -- Bordeaux, Tuscany, the Wachau, Napa Valley -- and someone will offer you a flight of wine. If you have never ordered one, or you have nodded along without fully understanding what you were getting, this guide is for you. A wine flight is one of the most efficient, educational, and genuinely enjoyable ways to taste wine, whether you are a first-time visitor to wine country or a seasoned traveller adding another region to your list.

This is everything you need to know: what a flight actually is, how it works, what it costs, how to taste properly, what to eat alongside it, and where to find the best flights in Europe.

What Is a Flight of Wine?

A flight of wine is a curated selection of wines served together in small pours, designed to be tasted in a specific order. Rather than committing to a full glass of one wine, a flight lets you sample three to eight different wines side by side, typically 50-75 ml per pour (about a third of a standard glass).

The term "flight" comes from the idea of tasting a sequence -- a progression from lighter to heavier, younger to older, or one grape variety across different terroirs. Think of it as a guided tour through a winery's range, a region's character, or a grape's versatility.

Flights differ from free-form tastings in one important way: they are intentional. Someone -- the winemaker, sommelier, or tasting room manager -- has chosen these specific wines in this specific order to tell a story. That story might be "here is how our Riesling changes from vineyard to vineyard" or "here is the difference between a one-year oak ageing and a five-year one."

Flight vs. Tasting: What Is the Difference?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a distinction worth knowing:

In practice, most winery tasting rooms offer flights as their standard format. You sit down, choose a flight from the menu (or accept the house recommendation), and the wines arrive together on a board or tray.

How Many Wines Are in a Flight?

There is no universal standard, but most flights fall into these categories:

A standard five-wine flight gives you roughly the equivalent of one full glass of wine in total volume. This is important to keep in mind when planning a day visiting multiple wineries -- three flights of five wines each means you have consumed the equivalent of a full bottle.

How to Order a Wine Flight

At a Winery Tasting Room

Most wineries in established wine regions offer a structured tasting menu with one to three flight options. A typical setup looks like this:

• Classic Flight (EUR 10-20 / USD 12-25): 4-5 wines from the current range, usually mixing whites and reds or spanning light to full-bodied.
• Reserve Flight (EUR 20-40 / USD 25-50): Premium or single-vineyard wines, older vintages, or barrel samples.
• Winemaker's Flight (EUR 30-60 / USD 35-75): Top-tier selections, sometimes with the winemaker present. Often includes library wines not available for purchase elsewhere.

In most European tasting rooms, simply ask: "What flights do you offer today?" or "Could I try a flight of your whites?" The staff will guide you. No appointment is needed at larger estates, but smaller producers -- particularly in Burgundy, Barolo, and the Wachau -- often require a booking.

At a Wine Bar or Restaurant

Urban wine bars increasingly offer flights as a standard menu item. These are typically themed: "French Reds," "Natural Wines," "Sparkling Around the World." Restaurant flights are designed to pair with food and are often listed alongside the wine-by-the-glass menu.

Expect to pay EUR 15-35 / USD 18-40 for a restaurant flight of three to five wines.

At a Wine Festival

Festivals and harvest events often sell tasting tickets that function as self-guided flights. You receive a glass and a set number of tokens, then move between stalls or barrels. This is where you are most likely to encounter barrel tasting -- sampling wine directly from the barrel before it has been bottled. Barrel tastings give you a raw, unfinished glimpse of what the wine will become, and they are a highlight of harvest festivals across Europe.

What Is Barrel Tasting?

Barrel tasting is exactly what it sounds like: tasting wine directly from the barrel during the ageing process. The winemaker uses a glass pipette (called a "wine thief") to draw a small sample from the barrel, and you taste it on the spot.

What makes barrel tasting special is that you are tasting an unfinished product. The wine may be cloudy, tannic, or rough around the edges -- but an experienced winemaker can walk you through what to expect when it is finally bottled. Barrel tastings are common during:

• Harvest season (September-November in Europe) at estates that open their cellars
• En primeur campaigns in Bordeaux, where trade buyers taste barrel samples to make futures purchases
• Winery open days in regions like Rioja, Tuscany, and the Rhone Valley

Some wineries include a barrel sample in their premium flight as a way to show the evolution of their wine from barrel to bottle. If you see "barrel tasting" or "barrel sample" on a flight menu, take it -- it is an experience you will not get in a wine bar.

How to Taste a Wine Flight Properly

The point of a flight is comparison, so technique matters more here than when drinking a single glass at dinner. Follow this sequence for each wine:

The Five-Step Method

1. Look -- Hold the glass at a slight angle against a white background (the flight tray usually provides this). Note the colour, clarity, and viscosity. Lighter colour generally means lighter body; deeper colour suggests more extraction, oak, or age.
2. Swirl -- Gently rotate the glass to release aromas. This is not theatre -- swirling exposes more surface area to air, which genuinely opens up the wine.
3. Smell -- Put your nose into the glass and take a slow breath. Identify fruit, floral, earthy, or oak-derived aromas. The first impression matters most; your nose fatigues quickly.
4. Sip -- Take a small sip and let it coat your entire mouth. Pay attention to sweetness, acidity, tannin (the drying sensation), body (weight on the palate), and flavour intensity.
5. Spit or swallow -- In a tasting room, spitting is not only acceptable but expected. Spit buckets are provided. If you are visiting more than one winery in a day, spitting is the difference between an educational experience and a forgettable one.

Flight-Specific Tips

• Taste in order. Flights are sequenced for a reason -- typically light to heavy, dry to sweet, young to old. Going out of order muddles the comparison.
• Return to earlier wines. After tasting wine number four, go back and re-taste wine number one. Your palate has recalibrated, and you will notice things you missed initially.
• Use the palate cleanser. Most tasting rooms provide water and plain bread or crackers. Use them between wines -- they are not decoration.
• Take notes. Even a single word per wine ("mineral," "oaky," "favourite") helps when you are choosing what to buy at the end.

Food Pairings for Wine Flights

One of the best upgrades you can make to a wine flight is adding food. Many wineries now offer paired flights where each wine comes with a matched bite -- cheese, charcuterie, chocolate, or regional specialties.

Classic Flight Pairing Combinations

European Winery Pairing Experiences Worth Booking

• Tuscany: Brunello di Montalcino flights with pecorino and wild boar salumi at estates like Biondi-Santi or Casanova di Neri
• Bordeaux: Grand Cru Classe flights with duck confit at chateau dining rooms in Saint-Emilion
• Rioja: Reserva and Gran Reserva flights paired with Iberico ham at Rioja's historic bodegas
• Champagne: Vintage Champagne flights with gougeres (cheese puffs) at houses like Ruinart or Bollinger in Reims

Where to Find the Best Wine Flights in Europe

France

Bordeaux: The Cite du Vin museum in Bordeaux city offers curated flights covering all of France's appellations -- an excellent starting point. For estate flights, the Saint-Emilion satellite villages offer more accessible tastings than the Medoc's classified growths, which tend to require trade connections. Budget EUR 15-40 per flight at chateau tasting rooms.

Burgundy: Flights here are intimate, often just you and the vigneronne in a limestone cellar. Beaune's Marche aux Vins offers a self-guided flight through the cellar, tasting 15+ wines for around EUR 25. Individual domaines charge EUR 10-30 and often waive the fee with purchase.

Champagne: Most Champagne houses in Reims and Epernay offer flights of two to four cuvees after a cellar tour. Expect EUR 20-45 per person. Smaller grower-producers in the Cote des Blancs and Vallee de la Marne offer better value and more personal experiences.

Italy

Tuscany: The Tuscan wine trail is built for flight tasting. Enotecas (wine shops with tasting bars) in towns like Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Greve in Chianti serve curated flights of local wines from EUR 10-25. Estate visits run EUR 15-40 and often include olive oil tasting.

Piedmont: Barolo and Barbaresco estates offer flights that showcase the difference between vineyard sites (crus). These are some of Italy's most educational tastings. Expect EUR 15-35 per flight.

Spain

Rioja: The region's large bodegas (Marques de Riscal, Lopez de Heredia, CVNE) offer structured flights comparing Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva side by side -- the same wine at different ageing stages. This is one of the most instructive flight formats anywhere. Budget EUR 10-30.

Austria and Germany

Wachau Valley: Austrian flights typically follow the local classification system -- Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd -- which makes them naturally structured by body and intensity. EUR 8-20 at most estates.

Rhine and Mosel: German Riesling flights spanning dry (trocken) to sweet (Spatlese, Auslese) are a revelation for anyone who thinks they do not like Riesling. The Rhine Valley offers particularly scenic tasting rooms overlooking the river.

Portugal

Douro Valley: Port wine flights in Porto's Vila Nova de Gaia cellars (Taylor's, Graham's, Sandeman) are iconic -- and some of the best value tastings in Europe at EUR 5-15. Across the river, the Douro Valley's table wine estates offer increasingly impressive flights of dry reds.

Wine Flight Etiquette

Wine tasting culture varies by region, but these guidelines will serve you well everywhere:

1. Do not wear strong perfume or cologne. Aroma is critical to tasting. Other guests and the winemaker will notice -- and mind.
2. Spit without apology. In a professional tasting setting, spitting is a sign that you are taking the wines seriously, not an insult to the winemaker.
3. Ask questions. Winemakers and tasting room staff love informed curiosity. "What soil is this vineyard planted in?" or "How long did this spend in oak?" are always welcome.
4. Do not feel pressured to buy. At most European estates, buying is appreciated but not expected. A polite "thank you, I am still exploring the region" is perfectly acceptable. That said, if you have enjoyed four wines and the tasting was free, buying a bottle is good form.
5. Know your limits. If you are visiting multiple wineries, pace yourself. Use the spit bucket, drink water between flights, and eat before you start. Most regions recommend visiting no more than three to four wineries per day.
6. Tip where appropriate. Tipping is standard at US tasting rooms (USD 5-10 per flight). In Europe, tipping is not expected at estate tastings, though it is appreciated at wine bars.

Setting Up a Wine Flight at Home

You do not need to travel to enjoy a wine flight. A well-constructed home flight is an excellent way to train your palate and entertain guests.

What You Need

• Glasses: One glass per wine in the flight. You do not need expensive crystal, but use the same style glass for each wine so the comparison is fair.
• Serving temperature: Whites at 8-12C, light reds at 14-16C, full reds at 16-18C. Temperature dramatically affects perception.
• Tasting mats: A sheet of paper with numbered circles works perfectly. White paper doubles as a background for assessing colour.
• Water and crackers: Plain water crackers or white bread for palate cleansing between wines.

Beginner Home Flight Ideas

Budget EUR 30-60 / USD 35-70 for a four-wine home flight using mid-range bottles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a wine flight cost?

In Europe, expect EUR 8-40 depending on the region and quality level. Estate tastings at family-run wineries often cost EUR 8-15. Premium flights at classified estates (Bordeaux, Barolo, Champagne) run EUR 25-60. In the US, flights typically cost USD 15-50.

How many wines are in a standard flight?

Most standard flights contain four to five wines. Quick flights may have three; extended or premium flights may include six to eight.

Can I request a specific flight at a winery?

At smaller estates, absolutely. If you tell the winemaker you are particularly interested in their Rieslings or their reserve reds, they will often tailor the flight to your preference. Larger tasting rooms tend to stick to their set menu.

Is a wine flight enough to get you drunk?

A standard five-wine flight totals roughly 250-375 ml of wine -- about one to one-and-a-half glasses. On its own, no. But three or four flights across a day of winery visits adds up quickly, which is why spitting, drinking water, and eating between stops matters.

What is the difference between a wine flight and a wine pairing?

A flight is a standalone tasting -- wines served together for comparison. A pairing matches specific wines to specific dishes during a meal. Some wineries and restaurants offer "paired flights" that combine both formats.

What does "horizontal" and "vertical" flight mean?

A horizontal flight compares wines from the same vintage but different producers or vineyards. A vertical flight compares the same wine across multiple vintages. Verticals are rarer and more expensive, but they teach you more about how wine evolves with age than almost any other tasting format.

More Wine Travel Guides

• Wachau Valley Wine Region Guide -- Austria's premier white wine region
• Where to Stay in Bordeaux -- planning a Bordeaux wine trip
• Where to Stay in Tuscany -- Chianti, Brunello, and beyond
• Where to Stay in Rioja -- Spain's greatest red wine region
• Old World vs New World Wine Regions -- understanding the philosophical divide
• Napa vs Sonoma -- California's two great wine valleys compared

Word Count: ~2,100

Last Updated: February 2026

Author: WineTravelGuides Editorial Team