[chyamor]

Went to a wine tasting event and wondered

Anyone know what kind of a deal the vendor usually gets for having a booth?

Does the vendor pay for a booth? or do the hosting people pay the vendor and the bottles? I figure a booth probably goes through about 15-20 bottles per event, someone has to pay for those 15-20 bottles right?

[Veloce]

Depends on who you are. If you're a young up and comer, you pay for the booth. If you're Kissler or Bryant Family, any organizer would beg and thank their lucky stars if they showed up.

That said, the vendor probably makes jack shit. Most wine at organized tastings suck. Okay maybe "suck" is a strong word but unless there's at least a $100 entry fee chances are the wines are not exactly world class.

[Sebastian]

do you want to sell wine at those events? I am not sure you can just say 'hey I am going to buy some wine at liquor store and sell it there for profit' I think you have to be from the wine company. If they are looking to just sell the booth, you might be able to get in. But if it's a reputable event, I am pretty sure you need to apply and they will approve you based on your credentials...

at some events, you can make couple grands a day. at some events, it's just about promoting your business.

[chyamor]

(05-11-2013 11:16 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Depends on who you are. If you're a young up and comer, you pay for the booth. If you're Kissler or Bryant Family, any organizer would beg and thank their lucky stars if they showed up.

That said, the vendor probably makes jack shit. Most wine at organized tastings suck. Okay maybe "suck" is a strong word but unless there's at least a $100 entry fee chances are the wines are not exactly world class.

who pays for the wine? Vendor comp or do the host pay for the bottles?

[Veloce]

(05-12-2013 01:09 PM)chyamor Wrote:  

(05-11-2013 11:16 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Depends on who you are. If you're a young up and comer, you pay for the booth. If you're Kissler or Bryant Family, any organizer would beg and thank their lucky stars if they showed up.

That said, the vendor probably makes jack shit. Most wine at organized tastings suck. Okay maybe "suck" is a strong word but unless there's at least a $100 entry fee chances are the wines are not exactly world class.

who pays for the wine? Vendor comp or do the host pay for the bottles?

Like I said it depends on the vendor and the event.

I've gone to Bordeaux tastings that cost $300 per ticket. You better believe the vendor is getting compensated for their time and product. However if it's some event, let's say something along the lines of "Discovering the wines of California's Central Coast!" Then chances are the vendors are donating their wine in order to get greater exposure and increase their sales. No immediate profit on their part but good PR nonetheless.

[chyamor]

I see. I'm thinking about throwing a wine tasting networking event for 200 or so people, just trying to see what I can get for free vs what I'll have to charge or pay out of pocket.

Bordeaux vendor was at one of the events, yet they weren't doing any wine tasting. Just passing out flyers/business cards.

[Veloce]

In each region, Bordeaux included, you're going to have a huge range of quality and price points. There are $4 bottles of bordeaux and $3000+ bottles.

In your case you might try to get sponsorship from a vendor, rather than the winery itself. In the wine world, there are wineries that go through vendors and there are wineries that only sell privately. Rideau in Santa Ynez, for instance, doesn't sell through any wine distributor. You have to order cases of wine from them directly.

Your best bet would be to go through a wine vendor like Wine Warehouse, Southern Wine and Spirits, or Youngs. Tell them what you're all about and see if they'll sponsor your event. Of course, you're going to have to offer them some sort of incentive like a minimum case purchase per month or something along those lines. Noone is just going to give you free wine unless you run a scam on them, but that will dry up very quickly.