While the opportunities for travel and relaxing getaways have been greatly limited in the last year, many of Sonoma County’s most popular wineries began offering virtual wine tasting events, giving people the chance to experience a piece of wine country from the safety of their homes.

For almost a year now, Sonoma County wineries like Buena Vista, Alexander Valley, Adobe Road, and Hoopes have been hosting a range of private virtual wine tasting events. Whether for small groups of friends or large corporate gatherings, these wineries offer fun and interactive opportunities to try some great wine and stay connected from afar.

Office and Marketing Administrator for Alexander Valley Winegrowers, Pam Bell, wrote in an email, “The thing about virtual tastings is that people can watch from all over the country, or globe for that matter. And from the comfort of their own home or office. This opens up a whole new relationship possibility between consumer and winemaker. The winery or winemaker can inspire new fans of people that have never even been to the region.”

Many of these local wineries offer a variety of packages customers can purchase and customize to their liking. These virtual experiences have drifted away from traditional wine tastings to include more interactive and inclusive experiences for participants.

Wineries like Adobe Road have begun incorporating trivia nights, celebrity chef appearances, and conversations with the winery owners and wine makers into their virtual tastings. “You know, the wine is great, the wine’s terrific, but how do we provide a little bit of an escape or more of an experience. How do we make this new and unique and different and really embrace the medium to really have a good time with it,” said Marketing Director at Adobe Road Winery Alex Parra.

While it may not be the full wine tasting experience people are used to, the reactions to the virtual tastings have been greatly positive.

Sadie Gaus, a senior and Communications major at SSU wrote of her experience with virtual wine tastings, “The one thing I have come to love most about virtual wine tasting experiences is that of personal touch and personalization. I can easily recall one of my favorite virtual wine tasting experiences with girlfriends. We were a group of three and as a result of being such a small group, the sommelier was able to steer the tasting experience in whichever direction we’d like and go ‘off-script’. The sommelier dedicated extra time to explain in-depth information that one might not receive on the winery grounds. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. One will make what they make out of virtual wine tastings.”

Gaus goes on to write that as great as her virtual tasting experiences have been, they are not without their disadvantages. She writes that the biggest drawbacks have been the high prices, ranging from $200 to $300 a tasting, and the inability to create the same sort of atmosphere at home that one would get at a winery.   

These higher price ranges may be much more difficult for students or those, interested in participating in these virtual wine tastings, to meet in comparison to the $20 to $30 price of most in person wine tastings.   

As places slowly begin to open up again, many wineries are confident that this virtual format of wine tastings will continue.