5 New Lessons Learned About Attending a Wine Tasting Event
- Marla
- May 23
- 4 min read
I’m a big fan of wine tasting events. They are fun, educational, and a great way to spend time with friends and family. We’ve attended many of them and have shared our tips and strategies accordingly.
But these events have evolved, becoming more varied, more common, and more popular. As a result, we’ve learned new lessons about attending a wine tasting event. Here’s what we’ve found.
1. Understand What Type of Event You’re Signing Up For
Wine tasting events are more diverse than in years past and vary considerably these days. None is better than the other, but you don’t want to be disappointed thinking you’re buying a particular experience and getting something else. It really helps to do your homework here.
For example, the Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour is a high-end wine tasting event held three times a year in different cities whose goal is mainly to educate attendees about the wine. More than 200 of the world’s best wineries participate, serving their top selections, which the magazine has rated at least 90 points. The dress code is business casual, and many of the winemakers themselves attend, eager to talk about their wines.
In contrast, Uncorked DC Winefest, which this year was held in Nationals Park, is a big party. “It’s a mass market social event, with all levels [of wine knowledge] and all styles [of wine] in one place. It’s designed for everyone. You come and have fun! There’s music and dancing, and there’s not necessarily the need to learn something,” Michelle Silberstein, owner of Uncorked, told Wine With Our Family. Uncorked, which she started in 2015, has expanded to 22 events a year around the country. There were more than 100 wines and other spirits available at the wine event.
Our local county’s event, called MoCo Eats Food & Beverage Showcase, had yet a different vibe, as its goal was to increase the visibility of the region’s diverse food and beverage scene to consumers and to industry professionals. The 90-odd vendors of small batch food makers, restaurants, and craft beverage producers were eager to introduce people to their local products, and if you wanted to buy a bottle right then and there to take home, you could do so.
2. Eat Before You Go
All of the wine tasting events I’ve attended have had food available, either as part of the ticket price or via vendors selling food. Don’t rely on that; make sure you’ve eaten before you get there. No matter how many food trucks or stalls there are, the lines can be very long, especially when the food is for sale. And everyone seems to get hungry at the same time! You want something in your stomach while you’re sampling, and you don’t want to spend your time waiting for food. If there’s food you want to try you’ll still have plenty of room to do so. I particularly liked the freshly shucked oysters and the caprese bites at the MoCo Showcase. Yum!
3. Use the Resources Offered
If a wine tasting event provides a tool, check it out; it may come in handy. For example, most wine events provide a map or guide to help you navigate. The Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour gives out spiral notebooks detailing the different wines being poured. Uncorked offers an app that you can download so you have information about the event and the wines ahead of time. The app also includes a section where you can input your favorite drinks so you can keep track of them.
4. Watch Out for Unexpected Rules
Sometimes an event is subject to particular requirements that could affect your experience if you’re not careful.
For instance, the Uncorked Winefest at Nationals Park is a super setting for a wine festival. But the Washington Nationals, as do most baseball teams, has a strict policy about what kind of bags and purses are allowed in the stadium. The Uncorked website prominently included that information, but I forgot about it and almost left the house with a non-compliant purse. Ugh.
5. Reach Beyond the Familiar – and Keep an Open Mind
I can understand why people tend to gravitate to the wines and other beverages they already know they like. But wine tasting events are an opportunity to sample new foods or
drinks. If you don’t like something, at least now you know that.
Similarly, don’t pigeonhole a wine, food, or region. You may be pleasantly surprised. Before attending the MoCo Food and Beverage Showcase I had no idea there were so many craft wineries, cideries, distilleries, and breweries in my own backyard – and they were very good. The Showcase even had a “tastemakers trail” to help attendees locate the beverage vendors at the event and disseminated a brochure outlining how to visit their tasting rooms in person. Smart idea!
We hope that our five new lessons learned about attending a wine tasting event help you maximize your experience and avoid the pitfalls. If you have additional recommendations, please share them! Send us a message at info@winewithourfamily.com. Always feel free to reach out to us with any questions or feedback.
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