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Top ten tips for attending wine tasting events

Wine tasting events are great for trying different wines, broadening your knowledge of wine and meeting new people who love wine.

However, they can also be daunting, especially if it’s your first time. Here are our top ten tips so you can get the most out of your next wine tasting event.

 

  1. Enjoy yourself. This is the most important tip! Wine is meant to be fun, so don’t worry about saying the wrong thing or asking a basic question in front of the experts.

 

  1. Try something you wouldn’t normally buy. Wine events are the perfect opportunity to taste a new variety. Look for a new producer, a new type of grape or even a country from which you have never tasted wine.

 

  1. Chat to the vineyard representatives. At each stand where you taste wine, ask questions and engage with the wine experts there. It will make your wine experience more rounded and you might discover a thing or too!

 

  1. Take notes. At a wine tasting event you could easily taste over 20 wines, or even as many as 50! It will be impossible to remember everything you tasted, so write it down. Use a system so you can tell which wines you liked in particular.

 

  1. Allow plenty of time. Each vineyard may have up to 10 wines available for you to taste, so there could be a lot to get through. It will take longer than you think to get your wine sample, taste it, ask questions, make notes and move on to the next one. This should not be rushed!

 

  1. Follow a logical order. Start with sparkling wines, then whites, then rosés then reds, rather than mixing it up. Why? You’ll find it easier to taste wines in this order and you’ll experience will be a better one – tasting a delicate white will be very difficult straight after a big, bold red. Try taking this a stage further and taste the same grape varieties together. This will help you compare the wines more easily.

 

  1. Do your research. Have a look at the programme in advance to find out which wines are going to be there. Make a note of the ones you really want to try. Look them up on the Internet before you go. There could be a few surprises there that you won’t want to miss out on!

 

  1. Find out where you can buy the wines. If you really enjoyed tasting a wine, make sure you make a note of where you can buy it. You might want to order a case or two!

 

  1. Exchange contact details. Ask for the business cards of the people you meet and drop them a follow up email, you never know what opportunities might arise. I once met up with a vineyard in Italy after meeting the winemaker at a show in London and had a two hour free tour and wine tasting!

 

  1. Ask if it’s ok to take photos. You might want to show your friends what they are missing out on by posting some photos on social media. Just make sure you ask permission from the wine representatives first!

 

We hope you enjoy your next wine tasting event. Who knows, we might see you there! If you have any questions, drop us an email at paul@thecuriousgrape.co.uk

 

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