Great wine is essential for many successful events. The wine packages you offer for private events can play a big role in your guest's experiences, as well as the profitability of your event. So, make sure you spend time carefully selecting and curating these packages.
Every event is unique, which means it should be organized with unique wine selections. However, you also need to make sure you maintain careful control over the wines you offer. Otherwise, you could easily over-order expensive wines, greatly impacting the profits of each event booking.
This guide explores everything you need to know about wine packages for events and how to create them.
What are Wine Packages for Events?
Wine packages for events are carefully curated selections of wines that are offered as part of your event package. These could either be customized to each customer, or you could have a selection of different wine packages that customers can choose from when they book your venue.
It’s important to carefully consider the wine selection you offer in your bar package, as this plays a big role in shaping your guests’ experiences. It can also make a significant impact on how profitable your events are.
These packages are designed to provide a convenient and enjoyable wine experience for your event attendees. A good wine package will typically include a variety of wines, covering sparkling wine, red wine, white wine, and rose.
Event wine packages are often tailored to the specific theme, preferences, and budget of the event. Choosing the right wine can help create a more memorable experience for guests.
If your guests are wine lovers, then the wine package is an incredibly important part of organizing your event.
How to Create Wine Packages for Events
Successful wine packages for events need to accomplish two things:
- They need to provide a great experience for your guests
- The wines you choose need to make sense for your business operations and event pricing strategy
So before you just go ahead and order a selection of fine wine for your next event, make sure you carefully consider why you’re ordering each type of wine. Here are some steps and considerations to help you pull this off.
1. Understand Your Audience
Before creating wine packages, you’ll need to know the preferences and tastes of your target audience. Just because you might enjoy certain wines, it doesn’t mean your customers will.
Consider their wine knowledge, and what types of wines customers typically prefer in your venue. You’ll also need to consider the occasion of the event and how much wine your guests plan to drink. For example, fine-dining event customers will probably prefer higher-end wines, while more casual events could work well with everyday wines.
2. Set a Budget
Wine can become an expensive part of running an event. So, make sure you have a clear budget in place for your wine costs.
Determine a budget for your wine packages and stick to it. This will influence the types and brands of wines you can include, as well as any extra services that go with the wine. Your budget will help you narrow down wine suppliers, which will make it easier to select your wine choices.
3. Curate Diverse Wine Selections
It’s a good idea to have a versatile range of wine options available for customers. While your wine list doesn’t have to be extensive, it should cover a good range of wine styles so that you can cater to different palates.
Include a mix of popular, well-known brands, as well as some lesser-known but high-quality options for those who are more adventurous. Venues will typically have their standard house wines, and then offer more expensive wine options in a greater variety of styles.
4. Create Tiered Wine Packages
Now that you’ve narrowed down a list of wines you can serve, and know how much they cost, you can put together a few wine package options. Creating a few tiered wine packages is generally best.
This could include a basic package that just covers your house red, white, and sparkling wines. Then you could have a mid-tier that includes a selection of brands in each main category (for example offering guests cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir instead of just offering red wine).
Your top-tier wine package can include a wider selection of great wines, covering a broad range of styles. Here you could offer regional wines (for example, “Would you like a Napa Valley or Sonoma County chenin blanc?”). This could include wine tastings for your guests too.
Finally, consider offering a customized wine package. You can simply list out all of the wines you have available, with their prices and minimum quantities. Now your guests can choose a tailored wine package for their event.
5. Offer Wine Your Venue Already Sells
If you run a restaurant or bar, then always try to create your wine packages from the wines your venue already sells. This means any leftover wine from the event can still be sold at your venue - minimizing risk and wastage.
You can always offer guests a greater selection of wines that your suppliers provide, but this would be at a premium. Including minimum order amounts also means you don't have to end up with extra unnecessary wine after the event.
6. Offer Tasting Notes
Any wine lover will want a proper description of each wine in your package. So, try to present your wines with tasting notes.
Include a short description of flavor profiles, aromas, regions, and pairing suggestions for each wine you offer. This educates your guests and enhances their appreciation of the wines. It also makes it easier for guests to choose the right wine package for their tastes.
You could also offer a pre-event wine tasting for your customers to help them choose the perfect selection for their event. This could be offered at an extra cost. You might even consider sending wine gift sets to new customers. Send a wine gift basket when they make a booking to help them choose which wines they want for their event. Of course, a wine gift set should only be arranged for premium event bookings.
7. Consider Themes
If your list of available wines is extensive, then it could be a good idea to offer themed packages. For example, you could offer packages based on themes like "Wines of Italy," "The Best of California Wines" or a "Luxury Champagne package".
Themes like this make your wine packages more fun for guests. These themes can also help guests choose the right wine packages based on their specific event.
8. Include Food Pairings
It’s always a good idea to consider wine and food together. When offering wine packages, consider recommending or creating packages based on the event’s food menu.
If you have a selection is standard menus available for events, you could pair each menu with an appropriate wine package. This is a great way to help customers choose the perfect wines for their event. It also helps you plan out your different event catering packages more easily.
9. Offer Personalization
Personalized wine packages can make your venue and events far more memorable.
We’ve already mentioned offering customized wine selections. This is important for guests who want more control over the details of their events. You could take personalization further by offering personalized labels at an extra price. This is a fun addition to any special event and could be a great upsell for your venue.
10. Collaborate with Experts
When guests choose expensive wine packages, they want to know they’re in good hands. Getting some input from a recognized wine expert can help you sell these wine packages to your customers.
Consider partnering with a sommelier or wine experts to help you select wines. Their knowledge and stamp of approval can help customers trust your wine selection more. This can also make your wine packages come across as more credible.
Telling your customers that each wine package was “individually selected by an expert sommelier” is also a fantastic selling point for your venue.
11. Offer Exclusive Offers and Discounts
Once your wine packages have been finalized, you can use them as effective marketing tools.
Create a sense of exclusivity by offering limited-time discounts or special offers on wine packages. This encourages early bookings and increases customer engagement. It can also help you sell specific wine types and brands if you have any excess stock of them.
You could also partner with event planners and offer them loyalty discounts on your wine packages. This is a great way to generate repeat bookings for your venue.
Conclusion
Knowing how to create the right wine packages can play a big role in the overall success of your events. Take your time selecting these packages and ensure they make sense for your guest's tastes and operations. When properly selected, the right wines can help you attract more event bookings.
If your venue hosts events, then you’ll need to use the right event management software to make your life a lot easier. Try Perfect Venue for free to see how it can help you run your business smarter.
