Obviously, a wine-tasting event needs wine experts, so begin by seeking suitable merchant partnerships based not only on expertise, but also access to the best wines. After all, you have to be able to provide numerous bottles of expensive wine and there's no sense in paying anything near retail price.



Partner with a wine merchant or distributor who can not only help with supplying wine and expert advice, but can also help sell advance tickets to your event.

Organization Tips

Getting plenty of advance publicity is a must. Take the time to put together a press release and get the word out to local media outlets such as tv and radio stations.

Be sure to offer tickets through not only your organization, but also through participating merchants and other groups who support your cause.

It never hurts to have another nonprofit group plugging your fundraising event to their supporters as well. Strike an agreement to do the same thing for their fundraiser.

You will need a suitable place for your wine tasting fundraiser such as a reception hall or scenic outdoor setting. Arrange tables in a layout to suit the space and leave plenty of room for access to each table.

Experts can describe each tasting while wearing a lapel microphone and visiting each table. Use volunteers to bring a bottle of each vintage to all the tables prior to their discussion and have them handle the pouring.

To add a festive flair, consider providing live music with a string quartet or jazz group.

Profit Tips

There are many additional ways to raise funds at your wine tasting. One is to conduct both silent auctions and live auctions for rare wines and wine-related merchandise.

Run your silent auctions from an easy to reach spot such as the check-in table and always do a last call for bids. With live auctions of expensive wines, consider using a professional auctioneer in order to maximize bid prices.

Talk to your merchant partners about ways where both of you can profit such as offering gift certificates to their stores or special case buys on recommended wines.

Look for tie-ins with other merchants who offer related products such as wine glasses, gourmet food items, or travel trips to wine country.

For really large events, provide valet parking services and raise a few extra dollars.

Additional Event Fundraising

Auctions are an additional way to maximize revenue at your wine tasting event. You can offer bottles of fine wines via silent auction or conduct a live auction.

Raffle tickets are another great way to raise additional funds. They are a great way to offering an inexpensive chance at winning an expensive prize. Sometimes, you can even raise more money buy raffling off an item than by auctioning it to the highest bidder.

With a good-sized crowd, raffle off multiple items. You can use the approach where one fairly pricey ticket gives you a shot at multiple prizes. With a high-priced single raffle ticket being sold, you draw from the same pool for multiple winners.

Another approach is to keep the ticket price low and encourage people to buy multiple tickets. This way, the chance that an individual ticket will win is much lower, but people will often spend a greater amount on the lower-priced tickets.

And of course, a raffle allows you to sell tickets to people who can't make the event but would still like to participate in the fun.

Closing Tips

For a successful wine tasting, be sure to allow yourself enough lead time to successfully publicize and organize your fundraiser event. Get the maximum possible turnout by making tickets available at a discount for advance purchases and at a higher price at the door.

If your location is not well-known, be sure to provide directions on flyers wherever tickets are sold. Print a contact number on the tickets for any last-minute questions.

Do everything you can to make the night memorable. Decorate your location appropriately, provide live music and dancing, use a dedicated announcer, and serve plenty of unusual wines to compare.

Using a local media personality as a host is another great way to ensure a large turnout. It's best to route such requests through the program director of their employer.

Good luck with your wine tasting fundraiser!