New Winery & Tasting Room checklist, thoughts, insights etc

[Bmd2k1]

wondering if any existing Commerical Winery(s) w/tasting room -- would have a checklist of things to consider/do, lessons learned, tips/tricks/insights as part of the startup/opening & ongoing operations process -- that you would will to share? (not involving a vineyard - as juice will be purchased).

Thanks in advance for any/all info you can share --- MUCH Appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[Jovimaple]

wondering if any existing Commerical Winery(s) w/tasting room -- would have a checklist of things to consider/do, lessons learned, tips/tricks/insights as part of the startup/opening & ongoing operations process -- that you would will to share? (not involving a vineyard - as juice will be purchased).

Thanks in advance for any/all info you can share --- MUCH Appreciated!

Cheers!

I am sure volunteer tasters are essential. You know, to make sure it all runs smoothly before the real customers arrive. Where do you live again?

 

[Bmd2k1]

I am sure volunteer tasters are essential. You know, to make sure it all runs smoothly before the real customers arrive. Where do you live again?

Lol....no doubt!

Michigan here ✌

 

[Hokapsig]

1. SMILE and great your guests. This costs nothing and gets the guest ready to taste your wines. remember, guests can go to any store and buy a wine. They are NOT there just to buy a wine, they are there for the tasting EXPERIENCE. THAT is what you are selling.
2. have a tasting sheet that tells the guest what the wine will taste like. People know tastes, but they can't name the tastes. Give them help with what they are tasting. these sheets should also present the prices of the wines and quantity savings to induce the guest to purchase multiple bottles.
3. Educate your tasting staff. Have the staff know what grapes are in the wines, and what the wines will taste like.
4 Don't overpour. about a half ounce to an ounce for a taste. you don't want intoxicated tasters.
5. suggest alternatives. Some people won't like a wine, that's fine, that's why you taste wine. if you don't like this, try this.
6. we always ask what kind of wines the guest usually drinks. The tasting staff should know the wines and be able to suggest a wine to be in the neighborhood of what the guest usually drinks.
7. showcase your different wines. Everyone has a dry red, dry white, sweet red, sweet white. Show off a different blend, a different oak finish, a different fruit wine. What wine will you be known for???
8. Have the winemaker/assistant winemaker/cellar rat available (someone who knows some "inside" information about the wines. People are going to buy and many times share the bottle with friends. They want an interesting tidbit to impress the friends about the wine to justify the purchase of the wine.

these are things that work for us and gives us the competitive advantage. We make good wines, but by no means the best wines, but we have learned to SELL the wines. THAT will help make your winery a success.

 

[sour_grapes]

9. Tell your tasting staff NOT to wear perfume!

 

[Bmd2k1]

1. SMILE and great your guests. This costs nothing and gets the guest ready to taste your wines. remember, guests can go to any store and buy a wine. They are NOT there just to buy a wine, they are there for the tasting EXPERIENCE. THAT is what you are selling.
2. have a tasting sheet that tells the guest what the wine will taste like. People know tastes, but they can't name the tastes. Give them help with what they are tasting. these sheets should also present the prices of the wines and quantity savings to induce the guest to purchase multiple bottles.
3. Educate your tasting staff. Have the staff know what grapes are in the wines, and what the wines will taste like.
4 Don't overpour. about a half ounce to an ounce for a taste. you don't want intoxicated tasters.
5. suggest alternatives. Some people won't like a wine, that's fine, that's why you taste wine. if you don't like this, try this.
6. we always ask what kind of wines the guest usually drinks. The tasting staff should know the wines and be able to suggest a wine to be in the neighborhood of what the guest usually drinks.
7. showcase your different wines. Everyone has a dry red, dry white, sweet red, sweet white. Show off a different blend, a different oak finish, a different fruit wine. What wine will you be known for???
8. Have the winemaker/assistant winemaker/cellar rat available (someone who knows some "inside" information about the wines. People are going to buy and many times share the bottle with friends. They want an interesting tidbit to impress the friends about the wine to justify the purchase of the wine.

these are things that work for us and gives us the competitive advantage. We make good wines, but by no means the best wines, but we have learned to SELL the wines. THAT will help make your winery a success.

Some great insights -- Thank You!

Cheers!

 

[GSMChris]

If you can, also offer wine by the glass or bottle. Living in wine country, we often go to the local wineries late in the afternoon on Sundays or weekdays and have a glass of wine to wind down from our days.

 

[ChuckD]

1. SMILE and great your guests. This costs nothing and gets the guest ready to taste your wines. remember, guests can go to any store and buy a wine. They are NOT there just to buy a wine, they are there for the tasting EXPERIENCE. THAT is what you are selling.
2. have a tasting sheet that tells the guest what the wine will taste like. People know tastes, but they can't name the tastes. Give them help with what they are tasting. these sheets should also present the prices of the wines and quantity savings to induce the guest to purchase multiple bottles.
3. Educate your tasting staff. Have the staff know what grapes are in the wines, and what the wines will taste like.
4 Don't overpour. about a half ounce to an ounce for a taste. you don't want intoxicated tasters.
5. suggest alternatives. Some people won't like a wine, that's fine, that's why you taste wine. if you don't like this, try this.
6. we always ask what kind of wines the guest usually drinks. The tasting staff should know the wines and be able to suggest a wine to be in the neighborhood of what the guest usually drinks.
7. showcase your different wines. Everyone has a dry red, dry white, sweet red, sweet white. Show off a different blend, a different oak finish, a different fruit wine. What wine will you be known for???
8. Have the winemaker/assistant winemaker/cellar rat available (someone who knows some "inside" information about the wines. People are going to buy and many times share the bottle with friends. They want an interesting tidbit to impress the friends about the wine to justify the purchase of the wine.

these are things that work for us and gives us the competitive advantage. We make good wines, but by no means the best wines, but we have learned to SELL the wines. THAT will help make your winery a success.

I don’t have a winery but I’ve visited a few . I’ll second all of these. As a wine maker I’m especially appreciative when they know something about the grapes and process. Even non-winemakers will appreciate the “inside scoop”.

 

[VinesnBines]

Yes, greet your guests within 30 seconds no matter how busy you are. Sooner if possible. Immediately if not busy.

Take an interest in the guests.

Don’t pour too fast. I’ve been to busy tasting rooms that poured 6 pours in about 15 minutes.

Are you growing grapes, buying grapes or juice? That will make difference in your explanation about the source.

For tasting dry, dry reds, try offering a dark chocolate candy to show how fats pair with big dry reds. Use chocolate for tasting port styles.

Have crackers available to cleanse the palate. Use separate glasses for reds and whites if possible; if not rinse well between red and white.

I usually like starting with semi sweet whites to dry reds and dessert wines and port last.

COVID brought the end to guided tasting and moved to self guided flights.

Do have chilled wines available for sale and by the glass.

Be aware of the optimum temperature for serving each style- decant those that benefit from decanting.

I prefer a set tasting menu rather than choosing for a big number of wines. I don’t like too many choices. Go with 6 or 8 and rotate if you produce more than 6 wines.
Do have more than 4 or 5 wines. Six or seven is a good number.

Eyeballing the pour makes it appear the server is knowledgeable and experienced.

 

[mainshipfred]

This is not the easiest question to answer and has a lot to do with the particular customer or group. You have people that appreciate wine and people that go to wineries. I myself enjoy a knowledgeable staff person and the per covid tastings. Flights are in my opinion not very personal but some prefer just getting their wine an go off to drink it. Then there are the groups that are just there to drink. They could care less what the pourer has to say and most of the time are just talking to themselves and not even listening. Also for those that do want to hear what you are saying but have limited knowledge you may want to keep it simple. I believe it's a matter of being able to read the customer and get a feel of what might make their visit the most enjoyable.

 

[VinesnBines]

Well said!

 

[winemaker81]

I toured 6 Finger Lakes NY wineries in late July and a lot of these points resonate with me. We went on a Wednesday so there were no crowds.

1. SMILE and great your guests.

At one winery the woman running the tasting bar was doing some paperwork. She immediately looked up, smiled, and said, "Thanks for coming! I will be with you in just 1 minute!". She quickly finished whatever she was doing and devoted the next 20 minutes to us.

At another winery it took nearly 5 minutes to get an acknowledgement from the 2 workers. We purchased nothing there. [Even with tasting fees, I typically purchase a bottle when touring a winery.]

3. Educate your tasting staff.

Gawd, yes! There's nothing worse to get "I don't know" in response. However, at one winery the young lady told us she was new, she didn't know, but she'd ask. I asked several questions, and in each case, she got an answer for me. Her attitude was perfect.

4 Don't overpour.

1 oz is good, especially for folks touring multiple wineries. I've had wineries pour half a glass (~3 oz), and that's a great way to get plastered, which is never my agenda, even with a DD.

We make good wines, but by no means the best wines, but we have learned to SELL the wines.

Be willing to pour an extra wine or two, beyond the tasting. It enhances a feeling of good will, and may enhance sales.

All of the points listed enhance the customer experience, and happy customers buy wine.

Have crackers available to cleanse the palate. Use separate glasses for reds and whites if possible; if not rinse well between red and white.

This! Rinsing between styles of whites also makes a difference.

With the advent of self-guided tastings, having 5 or 6 wines served in a tree solves that problem.

If you can, also offer wine by the glass or bottle. Living in wine country, we often go to the local wineries late in the afternoon on Sundays or weekdays and have a glass of wine to wind down from our days.

We noticed this -- it's apparently getting more and more common. For my group on a tour of numerous wineries, it's not of interest, but we saw quite a few folks buying wine by the glass.


Make sure the tasting room has enough glasses. Figure out how many you need and then multiply that number by 10. Make sure you have a way to store the glasses AND to wash them quickly. I've seen restaurant-style glass trays in larger wineries, so my guess is they installed a professional dishwasher to clean large quantities of glasses at once.

 

[Noontime]

So many good points. I'd like to expound on a few. The pour size is a great point about not too much... not only about intoxication but also if they don't like it they feel bad not drinking it. But also too little can be soooo frustrating. I hate when I go to a tasting and there's barely enough there for 2 sips, especially since the first sip usually doesn't count (just primes the mouth). Also, definitely make water available and spit/dump bucket, not only for the customer to rinse their glass if they choose, but also just drink some water in between. Keep something behind the counter as a special extra to offer customers who show real interest in wine; that can really make a great experience when you give them an extra pour of something you tell them is special.

 

[ChuckD]

Be willing to pour an extra wine or two, beyond the tasting. It enhances a feeling of good will, and may enhance sales.

Some of my favorites were an “ohh then you may like this one” pour that was off the books. I really appreciate it and have bought extra bottles even if I generally would have purchased only one.

 

[GSMChris]

I much prefer when there is a printed guide to the flight of wines - and when the winery offers more than one flight (assuming they have enough different wines). That way you can refer back to the guide when trying to decide what to buy.

I also think it is a good idea to pour a little something extra for guests who are serious about wine (e.g. everyone here!!!). When our party has engaged with the server, it's not unusual for them to offer something off one of the other menus - e.g "oh you liked that Syrah - would you like to try our GSM that's on the other list?"

Or best yet - when I had a group in from New Jersey that had never been to a wine tasting before and the owner/winemaker was serving. "You liked our flagship Zin wine - let me make you a special flight" She went in the back and poured four small tastes for each of us - fresh grape juice crushed that afternoon, wine from the prior year - not yet released which she drew from the barrel, the current release (which we had already tasted), and a 10 year old reserve that she opened just for us. She then tasted along with us, explaining what each one was and what to look for. It was a real eye opener for my guests - and for me!!

 

[mainshipfred]

So many good points. I'd like to expound on a few. The pour size is a great point about not too much... not only about intoxication but also if they don't like it they feel bad not drinking it. But also too little can be soooo frustrating. I hate when I go to a tasting and there's barely enough there for 2 sips, especially since the first sip usually doesn't count (just primes the mouth). Also, definitely make water available and spit/dump bucket, not only for the customer to rinse their glass if they choose, but also just drink some water in between. Keep something behind the counter as a special extra to offer customers who show real interest in wine; that can really make a great experience when you give them an extra pour of something you tell them is special.

I've been told many time the first taste doesn't count and I find it to be true.

 

[winemaker81]

Some of my favorites were an “ohh then you may like this one” pour that was off the books. I really appreciate it and have bought extra bottles even if I generally would have purchased only one.

We were in a tasting room a few years ago, and the older guy behind the bar was not friendly. Kind of snooty. I commented I was a winemaker and asked a few questions that indicated I knew something of winemaking, and the guy turned 180 degrees in attitude. He ended up pouring us a dozen different wines. Thankfully my nephew was driving ...

I suspect he had been dealing with a lot of clueless tourists and was happy to talk wine with folks who had a clue. However, he's not the guy I want running my tasting room, as his attitude will squash sales. It doesn't matter how clueless a customer is -- their money fits the same in my pocket.

 

[SLM]

Good thread, great ideas!
My favorite recent experience, the winemaker showed up in his tasting room, randomly invited all guests present back to his barrel room for a tour, brought his wine thief and gave us all a couple barrel samples of current projects. Taking pride in his craft, being generous, making friends. With personal touches like that you know we'll be spending money and talking about it. I just did.

 

[ChuckD]

Yep it’s the small things that often make the experience. You need servers who know their audience and Don’t waste the spur of the moment wine tours or extra details on the drunk bus folks. My wife and I do tours with a few couples and we walk in with wine bottle caddies. We’re going through a few bottles a week. I can get them at the liquor store or the winery. If I like the experience I’ll fill the caddy. A poor experience and I’ll buy one bottle if I like the wine.

 

[Bmd2k1]

Additionally, I'm curious for those commercial wineries that operate their own tasting rooms -- what % of gross revenue do you typically allocate to tasting room operations payroll?

Cheers!