Acoustics of Tasting Rooms

Here's an observation for wineries with large tasting rooms. When you get a room full of mildly intoxicated visitors, having four mostly bare walls and a stone floor leads to a very loud enclosure. This is all too common--Curtis Winery was the latest bad experience along these lines--in wine country. It's not something that is likely a top priority. But it matters.

The solution is pretty straight forward, though. Get rid of the hard, flat surfaces. Put in carpets. Add some kind of tapestries, fabric hangings or even canvas paintings on the walls. Even bookshelves or pictures might help as long as they have some angled surfaces. The big thing is getting some acoustic damping in the room, even if it's hidden fairly well.

I suppose if you're looking for a bar-like atmosphere, then loud noises are the way to go. I'm looking at you Fess Parker and Zaca Mesa. But for a more relaxed, upscale feeling, bring it down a few dozen decibels.