6th June 2024 | Life at Virgin Wines | 4 minute read
Our wine tastings are a brilliant way to try lots of wines from our extensive range. If you’ve not yet been to one you might have some questions about how they work and what to expect. Anything you’re unsure of you can ask one of our friendly team on the day but here are a few tips to get you prepared before you arrive.
Whilst there is no incorrect way to taste wine, there is a way to taste wine like a pro. No one will judge you if you choose to not follow these rules, but by following a few simple steps you could enhance your experience and truly savour every drop.
It’s all about the three senses, sight, smell and taste (tasting being the most important here of course). To taste wine like a pro, you’ll want to incorporate all three.
Start by checking the colour of the wine, you can do this by holding the stem of the glass and propping it against a white surface. The colour can give a good indication of what to expect from the wine, for example, deep garnet-coloured reds are usually full-bodied with notes of leather and nuts.
Next, give the wine a swirl and sniff, what can you smell? How intense is the smell? The answers to these will give some indication of what to expect when tasting.
Lastly, take a sip. Letting a small amount of air into your mouth as you’re tasting the wine will aerate it and really allow you to savour all the flavours.
If you’d like to practise your sommelier impression before one of our events, we have wine tasting kits that come with five miniature bottles as well as a tasting glass and notes.
When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by a member of the Virgin Wines team who will hand you a branded glass and a tasting booklet with all the information about which wines we have at the event. This booklet also has a notes section so you can jot down any specific wines you really enjoyed.
The hall is set out with themed tasting tables manned by winemakers, wine advisors and staff from the whole company. Here you’ll be able to get yourself a tasting measure of wine, chat about anything wine related, and nibble on some food (which we highly recommend).
There are plenty of spittoons laid around the venue which we do encourage you to use unless you want to find yourself wiped out early, plus we’d love you to explore as many tables as possible.
While you’re working the room, swirling and sipping wines to your heart’s content, you may even come across unexpected treats such as games and giveaways. Whether it’s our blind tasting table where you guess the grape and region of a wine from taste alone, or our social media team interviewing wine lovers for a video, there’s always plenty of fun stuff going on.
If you find new favourite wines you’d like to purchase and enjoy again at home (which we can assure you, you will) then you can place an order and get the price of the ticket knocked off the case as well as an extra free bottle. Cheers to that!
Fancy painting the town red with us? Joining in is easy as we have a selection of different tasting locations around the UK, most of which we return to every year. This usually includes Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, plus two in London. For more information and to see if we’re heading to a city near you, check out our tastings page.
Our tasting events are truly loved by all who attend. We hope to see you at the next one!
