Good LSM: Seasonal Wine Tastings

Most wine, beer and spirits shops regularly hold tastings, as they are a good way to bring in new and familiar faces. Customers want to try before they buy, and attending a wine, beer or spirits tasting allows them to do just that. Tastings are also the perfect chance for your business to showcase new labels, educate your customers about a certain type of wine or wine region or just tell your customers what you’re most excited about right now. Customers want to try/buy what you want to show them – it’s a win-win!

In addition to highlighting new or special products, you can use a tasting event to tie your products into what’s happening seasonally! We saw this great Halloween tasting idea from Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit Shop in New York City:

While this tasting is playful in nature, you could also use the change in seasons to do a more “serious” wine tasting – highlighting sophisticated wines (or beers or spirits) that would be the perfect addition to a holiday table.

The ideas above would easily work for any season, with a few tweaks. Here are some ideas:

• Winter:
  • The perfect après ski beer (or cocktail)
  • Wines that pair with hearty stews
  • Champagne tasting for New Years Eve
  • Classic cocktails
• Spring:
  • Wines for Easter
  • Kosher Wines for Passover
  • Spring Break (tropical) cocktails
• Summer:
  • Pairing wines with seafood
  • Favorite canned beers (for the beach)
  • Punch cocktail recipes for a crowd

Do you host tastings at your wine, beer or spirits shop? How do you keep customers coming back for more?