Because we’re not a run-of-the-mill, boring, at-home party company, one of our biggest challenges as wine consultants isn’t trying to get people to come to the party… our biggest challenges arise when we have TOO MANY PEOPLE who want to come to a tasting!
At WineShop at Home we say that our sweet spot is about 8-14 people at a tasting. Honestly, I’ve had great tastings with only 3-5 people, too; that’s the great thing about wine: it can be enjoyed in very intimate settings.
Since so many of the tastings tend to “blow up” and get crowded, let’s talk about what you can do when there are more people than usual at a tasting event.
Tips for Dealing with Large WineShop at Home Tasting Crowds
You might get a phone call from the host saying, “Oh no, Diane, I have 20 people coming! We need more wine!” Well, we only allow one sampler per event. Why? Because time after time we’ve shown that more people doesn’t equal more sales.
Besides that, people often cancel so a 20-person tasting might actually end up being more like a 15-person tasting.
But let’s say that you do have a 20-person tasting. Knowing that you’ll have one sampler for the whole group, here’s what you can do:
- Use your measured pours. You have those pourers for a reason: they are exactly 1 oz. of wine. A typical bottle of wine has 25.4 oz. of wine, which means that even with 20 people there’s no problem!
- Encourage your host to purchase an add-on pack to the tasting. This is a way that she can add extra bottles to try more wine. She can also choose to add more of the same wine that was in the original sampler so there is more to go around.
- Have your host pre-order some of the wines in the sampler. If she does, you’ll have more for everybody.
- Have your host pre-order Table Red or Table White. These two wines are great crowd pleasers for after the tasting!
Crowd Control Basics
Now let’s say that you’re leading a tasting with LOTS of people – that’s a lot! You’ll definitely need some crowd control when dealing with that many excited, thirsty and talkative bodies!
When you have a group that big, they’ll get loud, chatty and some people will become frustrated because they want to hear the tasting while their friends are busy laughing and talking.
Use Your Host
One of your most helpful players will be the host. Talk to her ahead of time and tell her that if she could help you tone down the side chatter, it would be helpful. Nobody wants their wine consultant to be a stern teacher – if it’s the host who helps keep things moving along, the group will be much more responsive and she wants ALL of her guests to enjoy themselves.
Use the Wine Bell
I have a wine bell that I give to the social butterfly of the group. Or sometimes I’ll give it to the shiest person in the group! I give them the bell and say, “If everyone’s talking too much and you want to move on, ring the wine bell. If you’re out of wine and you want more, same deal. You can even ring the wine bell on me, too, if I’m talking too much!” The LOVE it! I recently gifted a few of my newest leaders their own “wine bell.”
Tell Them What to Expect
You can set up the tasting from the start by letting the crowd know what to expect. You can say, “Hey, our normal tasting is 8-14 people, but Susie Host is so popular that she didn’t want anyone to be left out. So please, let’s stay focused and get through the tasting. I’m okay with side conversations, but if I need to get your attention, I’ll ding my glass. When we’re done you can drink and chat as much as you want!”
How to Run an Office Tasting
Occasionally offices will ask you to host a tasting in their building, perhaps for an after-work celebration. If this happens, the crowd control is the same.
You’ll have to also be sure and check out the corporate rules on this, because there are only certain locations you can do tastings. For instance, the event must be closed to the public and invitation-only. There may be more state laws in your area; be sure to check beforehand.
With office events, you must pre-purchase the wine. Essentially, when I go into an event like this, I’m volunteering my services to talk and teach about wine and make the company look good. I will usually ask the client to pre-purchase x number of cases, and while I might have business cards, I’m not actively selling the wine by the time we’re at the event. I’ve already earned a commission up front and I’m basically there to network and help that company look great!
Large tastings can be a lot of fun if you know how to manage the crowds. And, if you’re in a situation where there are a lot of people in the group – give yourself a pat on the back! You must be doing something right!