Serving the Greater Philadelphia, PA Area

There are 5 steps to hosting a memorable wine tasting event:

1.   Choose a theme
2.   Designate a budget
3.   Determine where/how to source the wine
4.   Prepare place settings
5.   Enjoy

Could be many things, but for the initial wine tasting event I recommend a country/region tour, for example:

• Mini Wine Tour of Italy, or France, or Spain, or Napa Valley, etc.

I will choose, typically, 6 wines that give a good representation from the chosen region.

I will do my best to identify wines that will demonstrate the theme, yet stay within your overall budget. 

Some Pricing Specifics:

• The Sommelier fee for an in-home tasting is $250
• The Sommelier fee for larger venues and corporate events varies depending on size and specific requirements 
• There is no markup on the wine
• For insurance purposes, I cannot purchase the wine for you. You purchase the wine directly from the wine store,  but I will provide all of the detailed information needed for you to order and purchase the wine. My goal is to make this as simple as possible for you. 
• The total cost of wine typically ranges from $110 to $250. You could, of course, decide on any average cost/bottle which would adjust the final cost accordingly. 

Click here for examples of larger venue  costs.

I will prepare a very specific list of all the wines (and alternatives) and where to get them (i.e. Local wine store, or online, etc.). I will ensure that the selected wines are ‘in stock’ at the time I provide the list to you. 

For the wine tasting session, we'll need the following items for each place setting: 

• Stemmed wine glass(es)  
• Bottle of water (used to clean palette and/or rinse glass)
• Pen or pencil to make notes on wines tasted
• I will prepare a handout for each place setting that lists the wines being tasted and other interesting facts about our chosen theme

Additional items:   

• Containers (ice-bucket size), 1 placed for reach by every 4 people, so folks can 'dump' unwanted wine 
• If you are serving food / snacks, it is usually placed at a centralized table where folks can help themselves with small plates/utensils.  We can discuss this.

Please Note:   During popular Holidays (Christmas, New Year, July 4th, etc.) when wine inventories normally drop quickly, a minimum "3-week lead time" is preferred to schedule a tasting event.

The wine tasting event typically lasts for 2 - 3 hrs depending on the group size, venue, etc.  During the session, I will give the background of each wine, discuss the grape varietals used and recount interesting, often funny, anecdotes about the history of the region and or the wine maker. You will learn, taste several wines that you've likely never tried before, and have a good time throughout!