3 Tips for Starting Your Own Wine Tasting Group
By Donovan Baldwin

Why would you want to start your own wine tasting group?

Many people may simply not feel comfortable trying to join existing groups. They may feel intimidated or simply believe that they want a slower entry into the wine tasting hobby rather than jumping in with both feet. They may have tried a group or two and found that their approach to life is a little different and they feel like they "don't fit in".

Of course, a common reason is that there simply isn't a wine tasting group in your area.

Whatever your reason, starting a wine tasting group or a wine tasting club, for that matter, not too difficult.

It's going to be sort of like a book club, although, but with the common factor a love of wine.

In fact the similarity between the groups of people involved is not all that different. In the area where I live, Dallas - Fort Worth, there are wine and food groups and even a wine and book group which meets to discuss a certain book over a few well-chosen glasses of wine. Of course, these tend to use the wine as an enjoyable asset to the food or books and are not specifically a "wine tasting group". But, who knows? That may really be what you are looking for!

Whatever your particular leaning, a wine tasting group is something that you can fairly easily organize yourself...especially if you’re that type of person who already loves lingering on the goodness of wine and sharing it with others of like mind.

Of course, while the enjoyment of, and appreciation for the wine is the binding factor, you are going to find yourself gathering with different people. These may come from many different walks of life...some of which may surprise you. Don't be shocked to find a banker, a college professor, and a brick layer showing up and passionately discussing the wines you offer at your meetings.

There will be experts and amateurs, and, if you want to grow your group and enhance its importance, and esteem, you will bring those who know a lot...but are willing to share their knowledge and love of wine...together with those who don't know so much...but are willing to learn.

What do these people usually do? Well, in general, people involved in a wine club are those that are typically interested in meeting together at a certain period of time, taste a new or old kind of wine, judge it, then discuss how it differs from the other. Clubs regarding wines are definitely enjoyable and at the same time, educational especially if spent with friends. Clubs which focus on tasting wine alone are not similar to that other club of wine dealers that ship in and ship out wines.

If you have been dreaming of organizing a group for wine tasters, here are some tips to prepare you for both the predictable and unpredictable. Just like small businesses, many wine tasting groups fail simply because the organizer failed to recognize some of the vital aspects of the endeavor.

So, what do you need to do, or be, to be successful with your own wine tasting group?

1. First and foremost, be informed yourself.

The enjoyment of an activity, and the ability to transmit that enjoyment to another, often hinges on confidence. True confidence is based on knowledge. Knowledge, and the confidence and excitement it can help create, is what will set you apart from others who just know about a particular topic such as wine tasting. If you are as much the master as you can be regarding wines, then your knowledge will help you create an open door inviting others to join your club.

While you are possibly building your own wine tasting group because of your own ignorance, learn what you can by whatever method, as what you learn will give you confidence and allow you to pass your knowledge on to others less informed on the subject. After all, isn't an "expert" just someone who knows more about a subject than you do?

Read as much as you can about wines. Learn to understand wine; how it is refined, fermented, derived, a bit of history, curent selling prices, etc. Even take the time, and make the cash investment required, to taste at least some of the more commonly known kinds of wine yourself. You, as the organizer, should know more about wine than most of your first members.

However, be prepared to accept the guidance and knowledge of a more experienced wine taster if you happen to catch one in your net.

2. Maintain a proper size for a intimate relationship and experience.

While recruiting and keeping a small group of people who are determined to stick with the group is better than having hundreds of those with undecided and doubtful minds. While there is no definitive number for the perfect wine tasting group, more than about thirty will make it difficult to keep that group of "fired up" individuals you are seeking.

Also, the smaller group allows for smaller meeting venues, keeps the cost of the wines lower (And cheeses if you go into wine and cheese pairings, as you most certainly will at some point.), and allows for a friendlier atmosphere among the members of the group. After all, a wine tasting is an intimate thing, not the Christmas office party.

3. Don't pinch pennies; buy good wines.

If you are going to taste wines, don't hesitate to taste the better examples. After all, the cheapest Shiraz you can buy is not necessarily going to be a good example for Shiraz in general. On the other hand part of the fun of wine tasting is finding that little hidden winery, or wine, which is not well known but strikes a chord with your memebers.

On an average, some of the best wines cost approximately about 25 to 40 dollars every bottle, and you can split the cost among your members. This can be very reasonable since each will only get a taste of the drink anyway.

Overall, if you are even a slightly sociable person, finding a like minded group of people to start your own wine tasting group is not going to difficult. The trick lies in keeping them interested by offering them a chance to enjoy one another's company and a good wine in a friendly setting.