2.2 Tasting Set-up, Clean-up, and Materials

There are various tasks that need to be performed in support of running a tasting session. Normally, these tasks will be done either before the day starts or in between tasting sessions when necessary.

CONFIRMING WINE TASTING MENUS FOR THE DAY

One of the initial tasks you need to perform prior to opening up tasting for the day is to confirm the wine list or tasting menu that will be used. Usually someone higher up in the winery organization will decide which wines to offer on any particular day. Tasting menus, also known as a wine tasting portfolio, can be changed frequently or not, depending on the winery’s specific sales objectives. Often, a winery will stick with a core set of wines that are regularly produced by the winery, moderately priced and known to be popular among a majority of customers. Some have a two-tier fee structure: one for the main line of wines and one for premium reserve wines.

It is common practice to add wines to the tasting menu that wineries want to bring to the attention of customers to encourage wine sales. For example, the winery may have excess stock of certain wines and so these become a centerpiece of the tasting session to promote sales of that particular beverage. Your winery may also have a wine list that includes a vaguely named wine option or two, for example, “Wine of the Day” or “Bartender’s Favorite”. Using this technique, the winery can highlight any wine it wishes and switch out wines in that category without the guest being any the wiser as to why the wine is being featured.

Once the wine lists are set, then wine tasting sheets or cards are created. Tasting sheets combine descriptive comments about the wines with an area where guests can mark the wines they like and make notes. Tasting sheets should list important details about the various wines so customers can remember which ones they liked enough to potentially buy and take them home.

Consider some of the tasting sheet features in the brief clip that follows.

 Touchless Tasting Sheets Using QR Codes

QR codes are a way wineries can offer their customers a touch-free tasting menu. With technology advances and a desire to minimize cross-contamination across people touching and sharing things, some wineries are displaying QR codes in their operation or on their wine bottle labels. A QR code is a two-dimensional image code. “QR” stands for Quick Response; it permits the user to obtain data rapidly from the internet. 

Visitors scan QR codes using their own smart phone and pull up a web page or PDF without touching anything else. They can see information about the winery or its wines either as text or video presentations. Done correctly, the QR code can be used to deliver information that is both useful and meaningful to the consumer and drive a deeper connection with the winery. QR codes do make the wine shopping experience more interactive for your visitors. Some customers may have trouble scanning, so keep some single-use printed tasting sheets handy just in case!

PREPPING GLASSWARE AND OTHER MATERIALS/SUPPLIES

Wineries typically use glassware at their tasting bars. It adds a more serious note of sophistication to the tasting experience and reinforces the idea that this is an educational opportunity as well as a drinking activity. Glass permits the color of the wine to show through and adds to the visual appeal of the wine tasting. You do see wineries using plastic cups at large wine festivals or supermarket displays but this is less usual in the tasting room setting.

Each customer paying for an individual tasting session should receive his or her own glass to use during the tasting. On occasion, two people in the same party will share a glass while paying only one tasting fee. Remember you are only pouring a single portion of each wine on the tasting menu so you should not stress too much about it. It is a common practice to include a clean, unused wine glass (etched or stamped with the winery logo) as a take-home gift as part of the tasting experience and fee.

Additional materials offered during the tasting can include individual servings of water. Water may be provided so that customers can clear or cleanse their palates between wines. Dump cups/buckets should be provided so that customers have a convenient place to dispose of unused wine. Other items that may require preparation for a tasting session are napkins and any edibles such as crackers. Crackers and other palate cleansers could be offered in single serve packets or in disposable containers, and discarded at the end of each tasting.

Check your progress in Module 2 with the following questions.

1. Which activity related to the tasting sheet occurs after the guest has returned home?

a. Reading the descriptions of wines while tasting them at the winery

b. Taking notes about the wines during the wine tasting

c. Calling or emailing the winery at a later date to join the wine club

d. Marking the wines they want to buy at the end of the tasting

2. What is the main purpose of offering crackers to wine tasters during a tasting?

a. To compare the wine to the taste of crackers

b. To follow sanitation rules for clean glassware

c. To make sure the guests don’t get thirsty during the tasting

d. To clear or cleanse the palate between the different wines being tasted

Answers: 1. c; 2. d.

PREPPING WINE BOTTLES

Part of preparing for a wine tasting session is to anticipate the number of customers and to keep the tasting areas stocked with wine in sufficient quantities for each tasting session. You may be responsible for pulling the wine bottles from inventory according to the tasting menu for that day. This will be up to your particular winery and its storage and issuing procedures.

Keeping track of each wine bottle as it leaves the storeroom is a major step in keeping costs low for the winery and in staying compliant with legal requirements and alcohol laws in the state. Wineries, like restaurants and bars, are responsible for documenting where and when each bottle of alcohol has been produced, bought, used, or sold.

Prepping the bottles for tasting service typically occurs out of sight of the tasting session guest. Opening the bottles beforehand decreases the length of the tasting as well as the stress on the tasting session host who is supposed to focus on customers and their reactions to the wine being served. In addition, certain wines, notably red wines, benefit from incorporating air prior to being served. Increased wine-air contact favors the release of aromatics which potentially increases customer enjoyment of the wine.

RESTOCKING AND CLEAN-UP

Some wineries having clear beginnings and endings to their tasting sessions, while others operate on a rolling basis where individual guests come and leave in unpredictable (and sometimes continuous) waves. In each case, keeping tasting areas clean is an important priority. Obvious duties falling to the tasting host or coworkers are the restocking of wine and the other typical tasting session materials (glassware, edibles, napkins, and so on) in between tastings or when supplies run low. Every customer deserves to experience the full service of a tasting session, so keep on top of supplies throughout the day. 

At the end of the tasting day, there are some basic steps that tasting hosts can follow to ensure the area is clean and ready for the next working day. All cleaning should take into consideration local and federal sanitation laws. If there are opened bottles remaining, follow your winery's practice for storing them. Not all wines store well after being opened, while others may be good for 2 or 3 days. Any remaining opened food on the bar counter, i.e., crackers or tasting items, should be discarded into the trash. Likewise, any refrigerated food and beverage behind the bar should be inspected and discarded when past its shelf life.

You should dispose of broken glassware and restock the tasting service area with the necessary number of glasses. If dirty glassware is to be reused, it must be washed in accordance with local sanitation laws. Check with your winery manager for local regulations. Washing areas such as sinks have to be sanitized as well after the washing is completed.

Table surface areas and the bar top should be cleaned and the surfaces then wiped down with a cloth soaked in a cleaning solution according to local regulations for cleaning and sanitizing. Wood along the bar can be treated with an appropriate wood cleaner while brass, stainless steel or other metals are cleaned with a metal cleaner. You can wipe down decorative glass or mirror surfaces with glass cleaner and a paper towel until they are streak free.

If floor mats are used in the bar areas, they should be moved outside and rinsed thoroughly with a high-pressure hose. The mats can be air-dried and replaced before the next day or event begins. Typically, the floor in the bar area is washed, scrubbed and run over with a squeegee-broom to push remaining dirty water into drains built into the floor. All trash is tossed into the proper waste receptacle, including recycling bins as appropriate.

Test yourself on the following questions:

1. Why would a tasting host open wine bottles before guests arrive at the bar?

a. to save time during the tasting session

b. to focus better on the customers and what they are doing

c. to improve the wine taste by letting the wine breathe

d. all of the above are acceptable reasons for opening wine before guests come to the bar

2. One primary rule for cleaning up in the tasting room is to:

a. follow all local and federal sanitation laws

b. move trash to outside dumpsters as quickly as possible

c. make guests recycle everything before they leave the winery

d. save as much leftover wine and food as possible to reuse the next day

Answers: 1. d; 2. a.

For the next section of Module 2, click on the following link:

Basic steps in the tasting process