The experience a guest receives in your tasting room can have a greater influence on sales than the quality of your wine.  Are you maximizing the opportunity in your tasting room?  This workshop will help you analyze your winery’s tasting room experience, learn best practices, and ultimately improve sales.  Several interactive group activities and ideas sharing sessions will take place.  Participants will leave with concrete action plans, including:

• A guest experience “script” for consistency of service
• Tips for staff motivation and development
• Techniques for engaging customers and closing the sale
• A tasting room improvement plan (even if you’re already doing well)

Who should attend?  Tasting room managers and other key customer service staff from the winery.

At Gruttadauria Bakery every pastry, cookie and cake is baked with the same ingredients, care and attention that has been handed down through four generations of family bakers.  This bakery celebrates the fine tradition of great Italian pastries.  Gruttadauria Bakery will be in the wine shop sampling their famous Ricotta Cheesecake Pie just in time for Easster.  Admission is free!

Admission: Price varies.

More and more, knowledgeable and sophisticated wine tasters are visiting our tasting rooms.  Are you and your staff able to understand where they are coming from and communicate effectively with them about your wines?  This class will train you to evaluate wine in the same way that wine judges are trained, so that you are better able to describe them and share their intricacies with visitors.  The ability to “de-mystify” wine is a fantastic way to increase sales.  Sessions during this all-day class include:

            - Sensory evaluation of wine, including component tasting and common faults 
            - New York Wines vs. the World

            - How to recognize quality when tasting

Who should attend?  Tasting room managers and employees who help with writing tasting notes, training other staff, and leading off-site tastings.