How to host a wine tasting

A wine tasting is a structured evening pretending to be a casual one: the bottle list, the pour size, and the order are decided before anyone arrives, which is exactly why it feels effortless in the room. Four to six wines, two hours, and palates leave happy instead of tired.

How many wines, how big a pour?

4–6 wines — enough variety to compare, few enough that the last one still gets a fair hearing.
Tasting pours of 60–90 ml — a bottle yields roughly ten tasting serves; that’s your per-bottle seat math.
Order: white before red, dry before sweet, light before heavy — sparkling as the finale if you have one.
Water, plain crackers, spittoons — palate resets between wines separate a tasting from a party.

What theme sells seats?

“Wines of one region”, “same grape, five countries”, “blind tasting”, or “under-₹1500/$20 bottles that outdrink expensive ones” — a theme gives the evening a story and the event page a headline. A sommelier or confident enthusiast leading adds structure; a blind-guessing game adds the competition that gets strangers talking. Pairing boards (cheese, charcuterie, chocolate) justify a higher ticket.

How do guests find wine tastings?

“Wine tasting near me”, “wine tasting event [city]”, “wine and cheese night” — date-night intent that books ahead. The page that converts lists the wines (or the theme), what food is included, and the per-seat price all-in. Check local licensing before charging — rules on serving alcohol at ticketed private events vary by city and venue; a licensed venue partner is the simple route. Strong markets: Barcelona, Lisbon, San Francisco.

Prepaid seats are the format

Bottles are bought against the RSVP list, so prepaid booking with a capacity cap is non-negotiable — 10–14 guests per host pours well. Waitlists backfill cancellations before you’ve opened anything. Per-seat ticketing — flat 5%, 0% on Plus. Prefer food-first evenings? Supper club mechanics here.

Run it on Espeya

Paid seats, capacity caps, dietary/pairing questions at booking, reminders — one page. Promotion playbook here.