Tasting Room Tips

While to many of us, wine is a part of our everyday life, it can be a very intimidating beverage to lots of people, especially the huge percentage of those who do not drink wine more than a couple times a year....if at all. Here are a few hints to help you sell more wine when those novices, tourists and Bud lite drinkers walk through your doors:

• Keep an area to the right of your front door open and uncluttered to allow someone to enter and get their bearings before they approach your tasting bar

• Instruct your team to greet guests with just a hello and smile to recognize them, but not make them feel pressured

• Once they approach the tasting area: use 2 questions: Do you like red or white? Dry or sweet?

Then teach your staff to make sure the newbees are not looked down on for their preferences, whatever they might be

• On a tasting card or sell sheet of some kind, along with the names of your wines, the prices and simple descriptions, add 2 or 3 things:

• a pronunciation guide

• a sweetness scale that they can peruse before your team begins the tasting and/or selling effort

• perhaps some food category suggestions

• Supply baskets or multi bottle tote bags both to make handling bottles easier and to potentially sell more wine

About the author:

Donniella Winchell, Executive Director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association...