That feeling of becoming part of the neighborhood is real. In my experience, saying yes to those small gestures, even if you're busy, builds more goodwill than any ad. It turns a client into someone who'll actually call you again.

It's more about the smell than actually licking a rock. Closing my eyes and really sniffing the wine helps me get it. That mineral smell after rain on a hot street is what they're talking about. Tasting is mostly smelling anyway, so your brain puts it together. Once I stopped trying to taste granite and just breathed in, it clicked. The dust probably just means that vineyard had really dry dirt.