What are you doing to make your winery stand out from the crowd? You want new customers to visit and to come back often. Offering a mediocre experience is not likely to do that. If you know that your tasting room provides a great experience for new customers, let the people you meet know. That will bring your customers back time after time, and let potential customers know.

If your winery does outside tastings with other wineries in your area, make sure that the staff who pour at these tastings tell newcomers how great the winery is. Selling the quality of the wine, the great atmosphere in the tasting room, and the friendliness of the staff are all good ways to encourage people you meet in other venues to visit the winery.

This is especially true when your winery and others in your area are pouring at a tasting away from the winery. The people you are meeting and offering wine to may never have been to your winery before and have no idea what they are missing. It is up to you to let them know.

When people come to the table to taste the wine, if you don’t recognize them, ask them if they have ever visited the winery.  If the answer is no, that they have not been to the winery, then encourage them to come. 

Ask a couple of questions to discover what wines they enjoy, to ensure that you have wines they would like. Give them a short overview of the winery and wines (don’t go into too much detail) and invite them to come for a visit.

Be sure to get their contact information so you may send them a written invite or email.

A tip of the glass from me to you!