At worst, it can be a dismal stomp through places that feel like bus-station cafeterias. To get the most from a day among the vines, choose a designated driver and bypass some of the myths about cellar doors.

MYTH: There are no real cellar doors these days – they're just tourist traps.

TRUTH: Traditionally, an Australian cellar door consists of a trestle table and a grizzled winemaker personally pouring glasses of his finest. There are still lots of these, but it's true that a modern cellar door may resemble anything from a restaurant to a souvenir shop.

Technically, a cellar door is simply a place at which the public can buy direct from the wine producer. A cellar door should give you a chance to try before you buy, and a feel for the kinds of people who make and grow the wine.

If you're in a wine region and want to visit a particular kind of cellar door – a big name in wine, a small family operation, a cult venue or a food-oriented place – talk to the regional tourist office.

MYTH: Wine is always cheapest when you buy at the cellar door.

TRUTH: Wineries that also sell to wholesalers have limited control over how their product is priced in bottle shops. Well known, widely available labels are often on special at big liquor chains for less than you'd pay at the winery's cellar door.

To make the most of cellar-door buying, abandon thoughts of discount shopping and concentrate on what's special: the wines you can't get anywhere else. Some of the smallest wineries sell only through their cellar doors – so by definition, you won't be able to buy them cheaper elsewhere.

Even the bigger wineries often set aside a small cellar-door range of varieties or vintages available only from the winery itself. Wherever you go, look for cellar-door specials such as by-the-case discounts or baker's dozens, and sign up for mailing lists to stay updated on deals.

Getting the most from cellar doors

Five questions to ask at the cellar door:

1. In what order should I try the wines?

2. What are you best known for?

3. Do you grow the grapes here or buy them in?

4. Who makes the wine?

5. How long can I keep this wine before drinking it?

MYTH: A cellar-door tour is a great way to get on the grog free.

TRUTH: Winemakers are wise to this and many charge tasting fees from $2 to $5 a taster. The charge is often refunded if you buy a bottle to take away. If you feel affronted by tasting fees, consider that as well as paying for the samples of wine in the glass, you're paying for someone's time to staff the cellar door.

You can ring ahead to find out if there's a tasting fee and what you get for your money. Does the winery offer two wines for tasting, or 10? Are the winery's top wines included in the tasting range? The upside of a tasting fee is that it means you need not feel pressured to buy a bottle. If you're at a small winery with no tasting fee, do the right thing and buy at least one bottle to take home.

MYTH: The tasting counter staff will think I'm ignorant if I don't speak wine jargon.

TRUTH: The people staffing the tasting counter are sick to death of people pretending they speak wine jargon. Of course, there are wine aficionados who lose the ability to speak plain English when a tasting glass is put in their hand, but unless you are one of these just express yourself normally. If the people pouring the wine are the ones speaking jargon, ask what they mean.

Cellar-door staff generally like questions that show the taster is interested in knowing more about wine ("what difference does oak make to the chardonnay?"), as opposed to people who ask questions to show how much they already know about wine ("so, you picked this on the south side of the hill – right?").

The people at the tasting counter don't need to hear you talk about barnyard characters or lychee aromas. They want to hear what you like so they can offer you more of it.

MYTH: Spitting is only for poseurs and too disgusting for words.

TRUTH: Spitting is for everyone. It lets you try wines you think you won't like (once in a while you'll surprise yourself) and keeps you sober enough to keep sampling more.

Most winemakers love to see cellar-door visitors spitting out wine – it tells winemakers their visitors are serious about sampling as much wine as possible without falling over.

If you are worried about blood-alcohol levels, note that The Oxford Companion to Wine editor Jancis Robinson estimates that tasting and spitting 30 wines involves ingesting about a glass of wine. If you are worried about aim and elegance, practise at home in the bathroom while brushing your teeth.

Cathy Gowdie is a journalist and vineyard owner.

Planning a day out

A new website, www.visitvineyards.com, helps travellers plan wine journeys around Australia.

State tourism bodies each have sections that cover their wine regions including those in South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria

and Queensland.

The Victorian Wine Industry Association website features only the cellar doors of its members, but has links to regional winemakers' associations, overviews of wine regions and tips for tasting wines at cellar doors.

Wine writer Max Allen's Wine Map of Victoria has a comprehensive listing of 800-plus cellar doors, wineries and vineyards: rrp $14.95 or order online.

The James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2008 (Hardie Grant, rrp $32.95) rates individual wines and wineries. You can search for wineries on his website, www.winecompanion.com.au