Can a wine shop run tastings?
Tastings are the most natural tool a wine shop has: they turn “I don’t know this wine” into “I’ll take it”. They bring in people who would never have walked in, and give regulars a reason to come back every month.
This guide helps you pick a format, settle the licensing questions, prepare a stress-free evening and check that it pays.
The licensing questions to settle first
Alcohol licensing in England and Wales is run locally. GOV.UK’s guidance sets the framework; your council’s licensing team applies it to your premises. Ask them these questions in writing:
- Does my premises licence allow alcohol to be consumed on the premises, or only off-sales?
- Are free samples at the counter covered by my licence and its conditions?
- Can I charge for a tasting evening on site?
- Does a one-off event, or one held elsewhere, need a temporary event notice?
- Are there conditions on hours, numbers or staff for events?
| Tool | What GOV.UK says | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Premises licence | Needed by any business that sells or supplies alcohol on a permanent basis | Your everyday shop and what it allows |
| Personal licence | Anyone selling alcohol must be authorised by a personal licence holder | Who is in charge on the night |
| Temporary event notice | For events of fewer than 500 people lasting no more than 168 hours | A one-off event outside what your licence covers |
Free tool, no sign-up
Small business marketing calendar
The key dates of the year with ideas by trade, to time your tastings well.
Tasting formats that work in a wine shop
| Format | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| “Open on Saturday” | Every Saturday, all day | Introduces a new wine to everyone who comes in |
| Meet the grower | One evening a month or a quarter | Tells a producer’s story, sells their range, creates an event |
| Themed tasting | Before Christmas, Easter or barbecue season | Helps customers choose wines for the meal and gifts |
| Wine of the month | A whole week | Moves a good line you have in stock, with a tasting note |
| Corporate tasting | On request, before Christmas | Prepares an order of gift boxes |
If your licence allows it, “Open on Saturday” is the easiest start: one bottle open on the counter, a few glasses and a board saying “Taste today”.
A tasting evening, minute by minute
A typical two-hour evening with a visiting grower for about twenty guests:
- 6.30 pm – Welcome. Guest list at the door, age check where needed, water and bread on the tables.
- 6.45 pm – Introduction. Five minutes on the estate: where, who, how they work.
- 6.50 pm – 4 to 6 wines. Lightest to fullest, small pours. For each: one line on taste, one food idea, the price.
- 7.40 pm – Questions. This is when people decide.
- 8 pm – Orders. A sheet with the wines, prices and an offer for the evening only.
- 8.30 pm – Close. Thank everyone, invite them to sign up for the next date.
- Spittoons and water on every table
- Simple bread, cheese or charcuterie
- Printed tasting sheets with prices
- One person on the till
- Sign-up sheet for the next tasting
- A word about getting home safely
Does a tasting pay? The calculation
Take an imaginary evening at “The Market Cellar” with 20 guests.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bottles opened | 6 wines × 2 bottles × £9 cost | £108 |
| Bread, cheese, water | Estimate | £50 |
| Printing | Sheets and poster | £12 |
| Total cost | £170 | |
| Sales on the night | 14 buyers × 4 bottles × £4.50 gross margin | £252 margin |
In this example the evening pays for itself on the night, before counting customers who come back. Run the same sum with your figures: if the margin does not cover the cost, open fewer wines, choose better-margin wines or make the evening offer more attractive.
Inviting customers: templates to copy
Tastings fill up with people who already know you: your email list, a poster by the till, your Google profile, social media. Keep the message about the wine, accurate and honest, and never aimed at under-18s.
Subject: Thursday 14 November: meet [grower’s name] and taste their wines
Hello [First name],
On Thursday 14 November, 6.30 to 8.30 pm, [grower’s name] is coming to the shop to pour five wines from [region], from crisp white to a red for keeping, with food ideas for the festive season.
Free, booking required (20 places): just reply to this email.
See you at the shop,
[Your name], [Shop name]Please drink responsibly. Over 18s only.
Open on the counter this Saturday: [wine], [region]. Fruity, fresh, lovely with [dish]. £[price]. Come and tell us what you think! Over 18s only, please drink responsibly.
To build an email list properly, see our guide email newsletters for small businesses.
Choosing the wines: a line-up that sells
The line-up decides what you sell afterwards. A tasting is not a chance to empty the cellar of everything that is not moving; it is a chance to show customers wines they will want to buy again.
- Start with a theme people understand. “Wines for the Christmas table”, “Loire under £15”, “Barbecue reds”. A theme helps guests remember and helps you write the invitation.
- Cover the price steps. At least one wine under £10, two or three in your core £10 to £20 range and one treat. The core range is what people reorder.
- Pick wines you have in depth. Nothing is more frustrating than a wine everyone loves and you have six bottles of. Check stock and delivery times before you choose.
- Plan the order. Sparkling or crisp white first, then fuller whites, light reds, fuller reds, sweet last.
- Write one tasting note per wine. Three lines maximum: taste, food match, price. The same note goes on the shelf ticket the next day.
| Line-up for “Wines for the Christmas table” | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Crémant or English sparkling | The aperitif, a crowd-pleaser and a gift idea |
| Dry white for starters and fish | Core range, easy reorder |
| Light red for turkey | Answers the question everybody asks |
| Fuller red for beef or game | Higher basket, good for boxes |
| Sweet wine for dessert or cheese | An add-on most guests had not planned |
Counter tastings, day to day
If your licence allows samples, a single open bottle on Saturdays is the lightest version of all this. Choose one wine, write a board, and ask each customer “would you like to try today’s bottle?”. Note how many bottles of it you sell that day compared with a normal Saturday. That simple count tells you whether the habit is worth keeping.
After the tasting: turning interest into sales
- Next day: a thank-you email listing the wines and their prices
- The evening’s wines featured in the shop for two weeks, labelled “Tasted on Thursday”
- Ask happy guests for a Google review: a great evening is the best moment to ask
- The next date already announced
- Figures noted (guests, sales) to compare formats
Our guide wine shop customer loyalty explains how to turn guests into regulars, and thank-you messages to customers has wording ready to use.
The steps at a glance
The steps to plan a wine tasting in a UK wine shop within your licence.
- Choose the format. Open on Saturday, meet the grower, themed tasting or wine of the month.
- Check your licence. Ask the licensing team what your premises licence covers and whether a temporary event notice is needed.
- Prepare the evening. 4 to 6 wines, water, bread, spittoons, sheets with prices, someone on the till.
- Invite. Email, poster by the till, Google profile, social media; over 18s only.
- Host and sell. Short introduction, lightest to fullest, an offer for the evening.
- Follow up. Thank-you email, in-store display, review request, figures noted.
This guide for your trade
Go further
Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.