Different Hosts, Different Parties

So it has been way too long since I posted. I guess I didn't realize how helpful this was, but I've been getting verbal feedback from new consultants who have been reading it so I'll definately be more diligent about posting. The goal is every week, but with kids, family, business, etc... I'll try to at least write about our weekly parties.

Anyway, the last 3 months have been some of the most fun I've ever had in the business. Of course there are lows and highs, but overall I can't believe this is "work". Since my last post we have had several more, obviously. Here are some challenges and things we learned from them.

The Family Reunion

It was a really fun party to do. What a great way to spend time with family and do something new! The energy in the room was really good almost too good. There was a lot of excitement to see one another and visit. Older family members were very interested in the wine tasting, some of the younger ones were mildly interested depending on their experience with wine, and the kids that were brought could obviously care less. What we learned is that when it comes to family reunions they are not gathering to learn about and buy wine, they are coming to socialize. This is fine as long as going in we realize that we are the entertainment and we get our host to buy extra wine for their party before hand. We still closed out some good sales for the night so it was worth it, just a bit more work than we thought going in. Some host coaching tips here. Remind them this is a wine event, all present need to be 21 & over. Please don't serve hard alcohol to guests before the tasting, it alters their palate and we don't want anyone overdrinking. And, if some of the guests are really not that interested in learning about wine, maybe they could go to another room to watch the game or something. That way everyone has a good time doing what they want & there will be plenty of wine left over to try as they would like to.

The Sharing Party

I call it this because this is a party where the host invites their friends that don't have very much money, but they want to do something nice for them and include them in something fun. The hard part with these parties is that you can't predict them. Good host coaching is key here. Make sure to emphasize that they should invite their wine loving friends. We want all to come and have a good time, but it's really discouraging to walk away with $40 in sales.

The Young Crowd

This can be a really fun, great party or a bust. It's similar to the family reunion in that some are there to drink & not to buy. But again this is an unpredictable group. So many young people are really into wine and trying new wines. We found that the wine club is something that did really well at this party.

In our most succesful parties that we've had, we've stumble across this formula:

1. Get the host to serve sparkling wine as the guests arrive. It creates a fun, festive atmosphere, but it doesn't alter peoples perception as to what the party will be like.

2. Good communication and coaching with the host to help them understand your vision for the tasting and make sure you understand theirs. Wine tasting parties are kind of a new concept and so its our job to teach people how they should go.

3. Practice presenting the wine. We have learned that it takes between 6-10 tastings before we really got everything down that we wanted to say. We've made lots of notes in our tasting book to help us and keep us on track, but every tasting is different. Stay relaxed and go with the flow. Guide the guests and don't try to be a dictator. Have Fun!

I made this post about parties, but it was just to get up to date. Next time I will talk about wine. We have learned sooooo much about wine I can't wait to share it, but it'll have to wait until next time!

Our Party Was A Hit!!!!

Our party was unbelievably good.

I set up my little tasting notes and started. Kristy and I work all of our parties together thank goodness because I could not do it without her. We passed out the tasting menus and glasses and while she poured the tastings, I explained the steps for looking at the wine for clarity, swirling the wine, smelling the wine, and then tasting the pour. Everyone was engrossed and holding up their glasses and asking what it was we were checking for, etc. It was great!

We started with the Albion Viognier (Vee-ohn-yay) which was everyone's favorite white. It was very good. Everyone shouted that they could taste pear, in fact I could too. I handed around the tasting notes and description of the wine for people to look at along with the pairing recipe on the back of the card for Crab Cakes. We sold several bottles of that wine it was so good!

Then there was the Milano Cellars Pinot Grigio, which is one of my all time favorite wines that I always have on hand in my fridge. This one is very good and crisp.

I really wish I had been able to make my own notes on all of these wines because then I could really describe it, but I was in a whirlwind of presenting and didn't have time to make my own notes on anything. I'll try to do better, promise. But if you really want to know how good the wines are, just set up a party with us and you can taste them all for yourself! :)

Then we tasted Sun Fish's Pinot Noir... soooo gooood. That's really all I can say. EVERYONE loved that wine. We sold plenty of it!

Our fourth taste was the Mariana Vineyard Petite Sirah. It's good and has a much tangier flavor due to all the berries, blackberry, blueberry, cherry. It has good tannin too. (I'll be honest, I'm not sure if that's really how to describe the tannin or not...)

The fifth taste was Albion Cuvee Rouge, another favorite. It's a special red blend, 50% merlot, 25% Sirah, and 25% Zinfandel. An excellent red wine to serve guests, plus you look cool with a blended wine that you can explain - Ha!

Finally was another major favorite, Talmage Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. This one has a label that you can order personalized for events or corporate branding, etc. It's an extremely good, easy drinking wine. One of my personal favorites of the evening.

So, for our party - we sold $200 more than the average party!!! So the lesson, if I can do it you can do it. Everyone had a blast, we got 2 more parties booked and several wine club memberships sold.

Here are my favorite wines from the party that I recommend to anyone. The Albion Viognier, the Sun Fish Pinot Noir, and the Talmage Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

Here's my only regret of the evening. We were so consumed with presenting the information that Kristy and I completely forgot to take pictures! Next time in 2 weeks we'll get some pictures up to show how fabulous and swanky these parties are!

The Wine Came!

I ordered my wine for my party and it came yesterday! I received a 2008 Sun Fish Pinot Noir, a 2007 Mariana Vineyard Petite Syrah, a 2009 Milano Cellars Pinot Grigio, a 2007 Albion Viognier, a 2005 Talmage Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, and a 2007 Albion Cuvee Rouge. For more information you can find out about these wines at my website, www.swankytastings.com.

There are about 15-20 people coming and everyone is excited! I ordered some sparkling wine to get everyone started. I'll be sure to post again to announce what a success the party was.