I recently viewed your answer to this very topic, however, was wondering if etiquette has changed recently. My boyfriend and I went on the Northwest Indiana/Michigan wine trail, where we visited several wineries and their tasting rooms. I would say at least 75% or more of these tasting rooms had "tip jars". All of them were filled. Thank you for revisiting this question.
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Thank you for your comments regarding an earlier question concerning tipping at winery tasting rooms. The etiquette might have evolved, as you suggest, partly because the sheer number of wineries all around the U.S. has grown so much in recent years. Tasting rooms are an important profit center for many wineries, especially smaller ones who lack the marketing clout to reach a larger and distant audience. There is also the fact that, in a tasting room, the wines are being poured by what is, in effect, a staff of servers - no different than a bar or restaurant. I do very much believe in tipping in this context, as servers depend upon tips as a source of income. Considering all these points, if there is a tip jar, by all means reward the staff with a sign of your appreciation for their work.
