What is up with this store tasting??

A local wine shop recently announced a tasting of the Sebastiani line up (12 wines I believe) and a couple of things struck me a "odd":

In particular:
1. They have schedule 6 or 7 sessions with 20 people in each tasting session. Each sessions will last 30 minutes.
First of all, $10 to taste 12 Sebastiani wines seems a bit steep, especially when you factor in the cost of the wines will probably be partially or totally underwritten by the distributor .
2. 30 minutes to taste/evaluate 12 wines seems insufficient...of course, that may be more than enough time for Sebastiani.

Guess I've been spoiled by all the freebies available in many shoppes around here.

What do you think?

Curious Bill

I'd agree that sounds ridiculous, at least based on what tastings are like in Westchester and NYC. Any given Sat I can go to my choice of several tastings. Free, no time limit, between 4 and 20 wines. Most places like Zachys will have at least a couple of truly premium wines. Small pours, etc but still -free. The only tastings I've ever paid for were either with a dinner, or serious top end juice.

12 wines would suggest ~ 2 hours for me. They've timed it as you might for a quick winery tasting or massive 'scrum' tasting. This would only work with small pours ~ a couple of mouthfuls per wine. Alternatively this would be the difference between a stand-up and sit-down tasting.

they seem either slightly clueless or overly commercial, or a combination. Maybe takeup will be so low that it will merge into two 2 hour tastings

2 minutes per wine is generous. It isn't a piss up, it is a tasting. Swirl, taste, spit, make a note and move on.

Take out your watch and time it and if you don't get bored waiting for a couple of tasting windows to pass I'd be surprised. 2 hours? Waddya want to do, write a book about it?

If you sit around and chat or expect to be able to swill more than an ounce or so, obviously it will take longer - and you'll become intoxicated because you've drunk a whole bottle in a short time. Hey, I know that I'm a pretty fast taster, but I'd be checking anyone that needed 2 hours to taste 12 wines, for a pulse.

With the way the tasting has been set up it looks as though they have 120 to 140 people who have signed up, or maybe they are just being optimistic. Either way the limit suggests to me that they have a fairly small space for the tasting and whoever is running the tasting only has about 3 hours or so set aside. $10 to taste a dozen wines sounds like a deal to me, unless they are all examples of Two Buck Chuck wines.

The time limit is weird, but the $10 for tasting 12 wines is not out of line here in California.

Bill,

The only way I could understand the $10 fee is if the money is going to charity. Even if the 30 minutes would be enough time the number of sessions seems awfully ambitious. Where in this state would 120+ people be attracted to a wine tasting of Sebastiani?

2 minutes per wine is generous. It isn't a piss up, it is a tasting. Swirl, taste, spit, make a note and move on.

Take out your watch and time it and if you don't get bored waiting for a couple of tasting windows to pass I'd be surprised. 2 hours? Waddya want to do, write a book about it?

If you sit around and chat or expect to be able to swill more than an ounce or so, obviously it will take longer - and you'll become intoxicated because you've drunk a whole bottle in a short time. Hey, I know that I'm a pretty fast taster, but I'd be checking anyone that needed 2 hours to taste 12 wines, for a pulse.

Bill,
I'm obviously not a professional, but I need more than 2 minutes (perhaps not 10) to evaluate a wine. I do like to chat with others about the wine as well, so I think the 2 minute drill is rather confining. Also, my memory is fallible and I like to jot down a few quick notes on a wine. The above regimin is OK for a trade tasting, but smacks of a cattle-call to me. IMO, the best part of any tasting is the social aspect.

Also, I suspect there will be a good number of newbies in the crowd (the shop tends to cater to people with too much time and $$$ on their hands) so how does the leader work even a tiny bit of the educational aspect into a 2 minute drill and/or leave time for questions.
Best,
Bill

Bill,

The only way I could understand the $10 fee is if the money is going to charity. Even if the 30 minutes would be enough time the number of sessions seems awfully ambitious. Where in this state would 120+ people be attracted to a wine tasting of Sebastiani?

Sam,
No charity or food mentioned. I also think his estimate of 100+ people is ambitious, but he does these things semi-regulary, so I suspect he has a feel for attendance.
Bill

Also, I suspect there will be a good number of newbies in the crowd (the shop tends to cater to people with too much time and $$$ on their hands) so how does the leader work even a tiny bit of the educational aspect into a 2 minute drill and/or leave time for questions.
Best,
Bill

I quiet agree that to expect a non-wine savvy group to do that sort of tasting would be ridiculous. They'd need to spend at least 10 minutes prepping everyone, leaving about 1 minute a wine to taste, which for a neophyte group would be insufficient, especially if they wanted to socialise (a possibility the organiser did no plan for). For a wine group that knows what they are doing, it would be fine, though. I frequently pop into a local shop that offers free tasting and I am in and out in 10 minutes, having made up my mind about whether I like or don't like the wines, and making a few notes about them.

why not try the direct approach - just ask them what the deal is. btw, are you sure the laws allow the distributor to pay for the samples? if we ever get retail tastings in MI i guarentee they won't be - the retailer will have to cover it.

why not try the direct approach - just ask them what the deal is. btw, are you sure the laws allow the distributor to pay for the samples? if we ever get retail tastings in MI i guarentee they won't be - the retailer will have to cover it.

David,
Tasting samples are traditionally returned to distributor for credit in Indiana. At least that was the case when I worked ITB-PT. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised that the dist. rep was standing shoulder to shoulder with the retailer @ the tasting.
BP

Another story from a different local shoppe this morning:
Pot roast is on the menu for this evening to help offset the blustery late winter doldrums. I mention to NJ that I might like a bottle of 2002 ESJ Shadow with dinner and head to the cellar only to discover I'm out. I head down to the local shop and arrive just as they are beginning their free Saturday morning tasting (they claim only alcoholics have to wait until Noon ). I select a couple bottles of the Shadow and the wine director yells/asks me if I've tasted the Shadow lately. I reply that I haven't had it in a few months, so he instructs me to grab another bottle to put in the tasting line-up. Taste it before you buy.
I hung around for an hour or so and the 2002 Shadow only started to open with a bit of fruit and licorice to accompany the slightly smokey Syrah notes. Very, Very tight/closed. I poured the wine into the decanter upon arrival home and I suspect it just might start to open after 6 hrs. or so.
I'll post an update tomorrow.

Bill
Sounds like that's the store you need to frequent! I like their attitude - the sort that encourages people to return.
regards
Ian

I'll post an update tomorrow.

I was on a pretty good run of non-TCA afflicted wine. None out of my last 60 or so bottles. The streak has ended. Barely above my threshhold, but it was there.
Wm.

I hung around for an hour or so and the 2002 Shadow only started to open with a bit of fruit and licorice to accompany the slightly smokey Syrah notes. Very, Very tight/closed. I poured the wine into the decanter upon arrival home and I suspect it just might start to open after 6 hrs. or so..

I had a bottle last week and it was still on that same extended aeration curve.

Bill,

The only way I could understand the $10 fee is if the money is going to charity. Even if the 30 minutes would be enough time the number of sessions seems awfully ambitious. Where in this state would 120+ people be attracted to a wine tasting of Sebastiani?

There was a session like that recently at my local pusher. $15 check made out to the local library system of your choice. I thought that it was nice thing to do and they noted that it was in keeping with the educational format of the session. Neat to see this.

Once in a while, my local store does a stand up tasting. Sometimes 60 participants, say theme is great wine values.

One reception wine then usually a white, followed by about 5 reds. Cheese, cold cuts passed around plus a brief chat from host/s on each wine.

Cost is usually $25, 2oz pour and a 10% discount on wines purchased.
Very social atmoshere, some terrific pourers and mingle all evening.

Seems to work for me.