Hooray Blogging

Ever wish you could clink glasses and share some laughs with your work buddies, even when you’re scattered all over the globe? Well, guess what?  A virtual wine tasting class is your answer to the ultimate remote team bonding.

From swirling techniques to the fine art of sipping wine, our article covers it all on virtual wine tasting, as we share some of the best virtual wine tasting classes for you to explore on your next team building escapade.

If you are looking for more of such awesome experiences to keep your team in high spirits, you can check out our other virtual tasting articles on beer tasting, gin tasting, whiskey tasting, bourbon tasting, and wine & cheese tasting. 

For the teetotalers looking for something that’s not run-of-the-mill, check out our blogs on virtual coffee tasting, cheese tasting, and chocolate tasting to tingle your tastebuds.

1. What Is a Virtual Wine Tasting Event?

In a virtual wine-tasting, you and a group of fellow enthusiasts come together online to enjoy sips of various wines. These sessions are usually hosted by experts like sommeliers, winemakers, or vineyard owners who lead the tasting and provide insights while addressing any questions you may have. To make it happen, the host takes care of the logistics by shipping the wine, along with food pairings and any other essentials, directly to each participant’s location.

2. Why Should Virtual Wine Tasting Be Included as a Team-Building Activity?

A virtual wine tasting is an excellent team-building activity because everyone can enjoy an educational yet fun experience together. Your team will learn how to appreciate and identify wines—a lesson they will carry for life. Such an experience helps create a sense of camaraderie in your employees.

And after a virtual wine tasting, participants don’t need to worry about driving themselves home afterward or any other complex logistics.

Once your team has learned how to taste wines, you can include more virtual happy hour sessions into your annual schedule.

3. Best Paid Virtual Wine Tasting Classes

3.1 Hooray Teams

Ideal for: Team Building for Remote Teams, Employee Appreciation Events, Cross-Functional Teams, Corporate Teams

If you’re on the lookout for an entertaining and interactive team-building experience, Hooray Teams has got your back. Among a variety of fun teambuilding activities to choose from on their hosted platform, the paint and wine class is just what you need to flex your creative muscles while savoring wine. 

A passionate wine connoisseur will discuss the wine-making process, different wine varieties, and guide you through sipping, swirling, and savoring the wine of your choice.  And the best part? You can add a touch of creativity and paint your very own masterpiece.  All you have to do is prepare a jar of water for your brushes and have some paper towels or rags handy for those inevitable paint splatters.

No of Participants: 10 – 1000

Time duration: 60 – 120 minutes

Price per person: Customizable

 

3.2 Stag’s Leap

Ideal for: Remote team, Team building events, Cross-Functional Teams, Sales team

A Napa Valley winery with a long history, Stags Leap is your go-to partner for organizing a carefree virtual wine tasting class. Their carefully crafted wine tasting sessions are an excellent way to break up the monotony of the workplace and encourage colleagues to connect with each other on a personal level. During the session, your team can discuss their 150-year-old history and learn about their winemaking process. 

Stags Leap has an impressive range including fortified wine, red wine, white wine, and rose wine varieties, sourced from Carneros, Napa and Napa valley regions. You can choose from their list of tasting kits such as estate tasting, winery exclusives tasting, Napa Valley collection tasting, to fit every taste and budget. Plus, their expert team will handle all the nitty-gritty stuff, like sending out invites and getting those tasting kits to your doorstep.

No of Participants:  Customizable

Time duration: 60 – 120 minute

Price per person: Available upon request

 

3.3 Bluemont Vineyard

Ideal for: Team building events, Cross-Functional Teams, Sales team, Corporate team

Bluemont Vineyard has been hosting corporate events and tours for decades, and they’re best known for their handcrafted and one-of-a-kind experiences. Instead of a cookie-cutter template, they factor in your group’s unique needs, team size, and other important details to craft a truly enjoyable wine tasting session for your team.

A savvy winery expert will join your online wine tasting class to discuss the origin, history and variety of wines and virtually transport your group to Bluemont Vineyard. They offer three virtual experiences such as Wine & Chocolate Truffle Pairing, Signature Series, Farm Series. Each of these experiences includes unique kits delivered to the address of every participant.

No of Participants:  Customizable

Time duration: Customizable

Price per person: Available upon request

 

3.4 Ponzi Vineyards

Ideal for: Team building events, Creative team, Corporate team, Diverse team

Looking for a customized online wine tasting class? Then Ponzi Vineyards will be your perfect choice. Ponzi Vineyards stands out as one of the few vineyards holding the prestigious LIVE Certified Sustainable designation, allowing you to savor exceptional wines crafted with a commitment to sustainability.They offer group tastings and private events, and they also have an online store and the option to book virtual tastings.

Their tastings are hosted by a Ponzi wine ambassador who will teach your team about the wines, including a lesson on the Ponzi Vineyards. The best part is that you get to choose your wines or let the ambassador craft some excellent options. If you want to make sure you get your hands on your fave wines, it’s a good call to lock in your spot at least two weeks ahead of time.  

No of Participants: 50+

Time duration: 30 – 60+ minutes

Price per person: $50 – $200+

 

3.5 The Supper Share

Ideal for: Creative team, Cross-functional team, Diverse team, Team building for remote team

The Supper Share is a concierge service that organizes customized wine tastings hosted by a certified sommelier. Their activities are customized for specific groups and designed for your team’s level of wine knowledge. During the event, your sommelier will provide tasting notes, spilling the beans on the wine region, suggesting what snacks go best, and answering any and all your wine-related questions. 

While most of their wine picks are handpicked by the sommeliers, you and your team can opt for something different for a little extra cost. Once you’ve made up your mind, a retail link is sent to you so you can order the wines. All you have to do is get your teammates together, choose a date and time and reach out to The Supper Share to take care of the rest. 

No of Participants: Customizable

Time duration: 60 minutes

Price per person: Available upon request

 

3.6 Acker Wines

Ideal for: Remote team gatherings, Team building events, Diverse team

Acker Wines is one of America’s oldest and most iconic wine shops, with a 200-year history. From tastings and dinners to seminars and retreats, they host it all. Their wine tastings are led by experienced sommeliers who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. These sommeliers customize each tasting experience with fine attention to detail, tailoring it to the preferences and interests of the group.

With a noteworthy collection including Sparkling Wines: Bubbles from All Over, New World vs Old World, Seasonal Red, White & Rose and Region, Producer or Vintage Focused, they offer a top-notch experience. The best part is they  even handle the wine delivery for you.

No of Participants: Customizable

Time duration: 60 minutes

Price per person: $75

 

3.7 Couch + Cork

Ideal for: Remote team, Small business, Team building events, Creative team, Wine lovers

Are you looking for a virtual wine tasting that’s inclusive and makes the topic of wines more approachable? Couch + Cork fits the description perfectly. Their internationally-certified wine experts host exciting tastings that delve deeper into insider hacks, pairings, trivia, and nifty information that’s useful in real life. Couch’s online wine tasting experience mainly includes warm vs. Cool Climate Wine and Bubbly Sparkling Wine 10. 

Whether you’re a newbie to the wine scene, a seasoned sipper, or somewhere in between, you can enjoy an interactive and fully customized wine tasting experience in the comfort of your remote work space. They send you a list of delicious pairings to get your taste buds tingling, along with some cool tidbits and countdown emails to get your team amped up. If you don’t want them to ship the wines, they can also make suggestions on wines and ways to source them.

No of Participants: Customizable

Time duration: 60 – 90 minutes

Price per person: $379 (for the tasting), $50 – $100 per household (for the concierge service)

 

3.8 Matthiason

Award-winning winemaker Matthiason offers some of the best in-person tastings in the industry, and their virtual tastings are just as perfect. There are options for private and corporate wine tastings for different group sizes.They produce wines using renowned varieties like Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon and rare ones like Refosco and Ribolla Gialla. 

If you want to explore a virtual tasting, all you need to do is purchase a tasting pack or sign up for their Wine Club membership. These sessions aren’t just about sipping; they’re like a deep dive into the world of wine. You’ll get the lowdown on the wines, their rich history, how they’re made, and all kinds of fun facts.  Participants are welcome to ask questions to the hosts.

No of Participants: Customizable

Time duration: 60 – 75 minutes

Price per person: $249 (for tasting pack), $315 (for Wine Club membership)

 

3.9 Corkbuzz

Ideal for: Remote team with large size, Team building events, Wine Enthusiasts

Corkbuzz specializes in offering a diverse range of wines, from the classical to the esoteric. A virtual tasting with Corkbuzz is great for teams looking to deep dive into the specifics of a particular wine as they share details about the wine history, where it’s from, how it’s made, and lots more. 

While they don’t ship wine, you can bring your own bottle or pick something from the same region they’re talking about. So, if there’s a big team with all kinds of taste preferences and dietary restrictions, everyone can still join in the fun. Even if you can’t make it to the live class, you’ll get a link to the live session and a recording, so you can sip and learn on your own time. 

No of Participants: Customizable

Time duration: 60 minutes

Price per person:  $10 – $150 per class

 

4. Free Virtual Wine Tasting Class to Explore

Ideal for: Remote team gatherings, Team building events, Diverse team, Creative team

4.1 Frog’s Leap

Frog’s Leap is an eco-friendly winemaking business that offers free tastings. They host public and private events along with live 1-on-1 sessions that are run by an expert team of wine specialists. To access one of their private tastings you simply have to purchase tasting kits for your group members.

They’ve got the classics like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but you can also find other options like Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and more. The only drawback is that they’re open for appointments on Thursdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. PST. While they do accept requests for other schedules, there’s no guarantee they’ll be accommodated.

No of Participants: up to 8

Time duration: 60 minutes

Price per person:  Free, $87 – $181 (for 4 wines, half-bottle or 750ml)

 

5. FAQs

5.1. What are the best wineries for virtual tastings?

Some of the best wineries for virtual tastings are Matthiason, Stag’s Leap, Bluemont Vineyard, Frog’s Leap, Kivelstadt Cellars, and Clif Family Winery.

5.2. How do I host a virtual wine-tasting event?

To host a virtual wine-tasting event, start by planning the best activities for your team. Make a list of wines you want to taste and items you’ll need, then find the best way to source them. Determine how many attendees you wish to include and choose an online platform that supports your needs.

5.3. How to organize virtual wine tasting sessions for employees?

• Choose a video chat platform such as Zoom or Facebook Live to host your event. Register for a class that can accommodate all of your attendees.
• Look up a sommelier who can guide you through the activity and answer questions during the
• Purchase virtual wine-tasting kits for the participants and ship them. Make sure they will arrive before the time and date of your event. 
• Set a date for the virtual wine tasting—make sure all your attendees are available. Send out invitations with all important details so your attendees will be well-prepared for the event.