With much of the country struggling to return to their regular lives, online classes, virtual social gatherings and digital events have become increasingly popular. While we’ve gotten used to using online technologies like Zoom to conduct daily meetings at work, some individuals are getting creative and exploring new methods of remaining social while implementing safe practices. If you fancy yourself a wine connoisseur and want to host a virtual wine tasting, here’s how to do it.

Pick Your Platform

Whether you’re the owner of a respectable wine-oriented business or someone who enjoys the finer things in life, finding an online platform to host your tasting is essential.

Keep in mind that most individuals who will be inclined to join your virtual wine-tasting session aren’t technical wizards. For this reason, we suggest utilizing online solutions that are easy to use, incorporate an intuitive interface and don’t expect much from the end-user. While your needs may vary, here are some platforms that are great for hosting virtual wine-tasting sessions:

  • FaceTime
  • Zoom
  • Skype
  • GoToMeeting
  • StarLeaf
  • Google Hangouts

As a side note: before announcing your virtual session, make sure each member on your invitation list has the appropriate hardware to interact with other members. In most cases, a webcam, smartphone, tablet or a decent microphone are more than enough to have a great time.

Distributing Samples and Supplies

The trickiest part of hosting a virtual wine-tasting party is distributing your wine samples to all of your guests. For this reason, we ask you to consider your budgetary limits before announcing your event to the people around you.

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If you have a generous budget available, gifting each of your visitors the wine and materials they will need during the online session is a brilliant way to get things started. If your budget is tight, ensure you send out a detailed list of items each visitor will need to acquire before connecting to the virtual session. Here are the basic necessities each member will need for the event:

  • A generous sample of each wine being tasted during the event.
  • Containers for eliminating wine samples that have already been tasted.
  • High-quality palette cleansers, such as white bread or plain crackers.
  • Corkscrews, bottle openers and tools to remove the packaging material.
  • Appetizers and snacks for socializing.

Additionally, if your virtual wine-tasting event is “serious” in nature, you can distribute workbooks, charts and tasting grids to rank and catalog each sample. After you’ve finished, you can compare notes with your guests and take note of how they interpreted the wine sample.

Have Fun and Don’t Worry About Doing Everything Right

In the midst of the pandemic, we’re all doing the best we can to simulate a “normal” lifestyle. With that said, relax and enjoy yourself during your virtual wine-tasting event. Jump into the session knowing that it won’t be perfect, but being perfectly imperfect is, well, the perfect way to loosen up the party!

More importantly, when your guests realize that it’s OK to lighten up and joke with one another, they’re more likely to join your events in the future. And if you’re the type of person who loves reoccurring wine tasting, having people who are excited and ready to get started is paramount. Have fun and enjoy your virtual wine-tasting events in 2021 and beyond!

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