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Ages for wine tasting

I'll visit Italy next summer with daughters aged 17 and 15. I'm fairly sure the 17 is legal for <10% alcohol, but am I right in thinking the 15 yr-old is likely to also be OK for wine tasting? We know next to nothing about wine, what better place to get a crash course than on an Italian vinyard!

Posted by
32 posts

I'm not sure what the "legal age" is in Italy, but I was there in March 2008 with my then 12 year old daughter and they were letting her taste with us at the winery. Have fun!

Posted by
92 posts

I had the impression that 15 and tasting wine when 16 was the legal age might be about as big a deal as jaywalking in a small town. Thanks for the note of experience. I'll see if anyone else has something to say.

Posted by
7560 posts

Since she will be with you, and you are on a tour, there will be no issues with her tasting, or I suspect even having a glass of wine at a restaurant with a meal,(If you order a bottle. she will likely be provided a glass as well) My impression of the Italians is that they do not have the Puritan predudice toward a simple glass of wine that maybe we do in the US. They certainly do frown on abuse, but alcohol in the proper context is seen as very natural, even for younger family members.