You’ve probably heard of online wine tasting, as it’s grown in popularity over the past 2 years. But how exactly does an online wine tasting work? How are the preparations going at home? We will show you how these wine tastings work.

On-demand vs. live online wine tasting

But before that, a fundamental distinction between online wine tastings in terms of how they are carried out:

• On-demand online wine tasting: this type of wine tastings are recorded in advance and the customer decides for himself when and with whom he/she conducts them. It is usually the case that the provider grants the customer online access to the wine tasting via a link or QR code.
• Live online wine tastings: these wine tastings take place on a specific date provided by the provider. The wines are then tasted together with the provider. The wine tasting then takes place either as an open event, to which interested parties can register. Or as a private event with a precisely defined group of participants.

There are providers that specialize in live online wine tastings, others in on-demand online wine tastings, and still others that offer both.

Regardless of the form of implementation, as a customer you choose a specific online wine tasting (e.g. a white wine special or a sparkling wine tasting). The provider then sends the corresponding package to you. With the receipt of the package, the preparation begins. Because unlike a tasting in a winery or a wine shop, where you don’t have to worry about anything, you should prepare a few things for the online wine tasting. But don’t worry, none of this is laborious and with our step-by-step guide you can’t go wrong!

This is how the preparation for the online wine tasting at home works

Day of delivery

Once the package is there, the first thing you should do is check that it is complete and undamaged. Because if something is missing or damaged, it is usually forwarded or replaced by the provider. This should be done as soon as possible so that everything is there in time for the planned date of the wine tasting.

2-3 days before the online wine tasting

• Cool the wines

To ensure that the wines are at the ideal temperature for the wine tasting, they should be chilled in advance. The temperature varies depending on the wine. You can find the right temperature in the overview below:

• Test access to online wine tasting

In order to avoid problems and delays at the time of the wine tasting, it is important to test the provided links and access data beforehand. If something doésn´t work, there is still enough time to clarify this with the provider.

• Prepare shopping list

Are there any other items needed for the wine tasting (glasses, snacks, olive oil, white napkins, etc.)? These should be obtained beforehand.

On the day of the online wine tasting

• Run last errands

On the day of the wine tasting, fresh bread and, if necessary, other fresh snacks should be bought.

• Prepare food

Arrange the snacks and provide olive oil and bread.

• Prepare drinks

Check that the wines are well chilled. If you haven’t managed to cool the wines yet, there is another way you can do this quickly and gently on the wine. To do this, place the wine in a container with 50% water-50% ice cubes and 1 tablespoon of salt. Duration see table:

You should also open the red wine about half an hour before the wine tasting. Open the white wine just before the start of the tasting and keep it cool.

• Prepare wine glasses

The number of wine glasses depends on how good you are at this. equipped at home. The minimum is one wine glass per person. One glass per wine is ideal.

Online wine tasting moment

• Arrange everything: drinks, food, glasses, serviettes, etc.
• In the case of on-demand videos:
  • Open the videos
  • In the course of the wine tasting, the videos can be paused and sequences can be repeated if necessary.

• In case of live wine tasting:
  • Register for the wine tasting
  • Follow the instructions of the person in charge of the tasting

• In any case, it is important to enjoy the online wine tasting and have fun!

As a summary, we have created a checklist that shows you the most important steps at a glance including the ideal wine temperature:

We hope that this information has been helpful in understanding how online wine tasting works and that you are now excited to try one! You will find a large selection in our shop.

¡Hasta pronto!