Is It Time to Rethink Tasting Room Experiences and By-the-Glass Pricing?
As someone who’s spent years working in the wine industry, I’ve always been fascinated by the evolution of the tasting room experience. What started as a place where visitors could try a small selection of wines and learn about the winemaking process has shifted to something more dynamic—and sometimes, more complex.
One trend that I’ve been reflecting on lately is the rise of restaurant-level by-the-glass pricing in tasting rooms. It’s not uncommon to see wineries charging $10 to $20 for a glass of their own wine—a price point that many customers are willing to pay in a restaurant. After all, restaurants face significant costs related to spoilage, distributor markups, and overall program management. But in the tasting room, this same pricing can feel excessive and off-putting, raising questions about the role of the tasting room and the experience it’s meant to offer.
The Role of the Tasting Room: A Changing Landscape
Traditionally, tasting rooms were designed to introduce visitors to a winery's portfolio, often through curated flights of 1-oz pours paired with storytelling about the winemaking process, vineyard practices, and family history. This educational model still resonates with many guests, but there’s a growing segment of customers seeking something different.
Rather than a structured, bar-style flight, some visitors are looking for a social, lounge-like environment where they can sit, relax, and enjoy a full glass of wine without the formalities of a tasting. These guests may not be looking for in-depth wine education—at least not right away. Instead, they want an experience that feels more like a wine-centric gathering with friends.
The Pricing Problem: What Message Are We Sending?
This shift in expectations presents a dilemma for wineries. On one hand, adapting to a more casual, by-the-glass model can help attract a broader customer base and increase dwell time in the tasting room. On the other hand, if wineries price their by-the-glass offerings at restaurant levels, they risk making the experience feel transactional rather than inviting.
Unlike restaurants, wineries aren’t buying their wines through a distributor or managing the same spoilage risks. They have direct access to their own product and control over their inventory. This unique advantage means they can offer by-the-glass pricing that’s both affordable and profitable. For example, pricing a glass of wine at $6 to $9 instead of $15 to $20 can still yield strong margins while creating a perception of value that encourages guests to stay longer, order more, and ultimately walk away with bottles or memberships.
Meeting Customers Where They Are
At the heart of this discussion is the question of how wineries can evolve their tasting room models without losing their educational roots. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but it starts with understanding what today’s customers want: a memorable experience that feels welcoming, authentic, and worth the investment.
Some wineries have successfully introduced hybrid models that offer both traditional flights and a lounge area for by-the-glass service. This approach allows guests to choose the experience that best suits their mood and preferences. Others have created more curated by-the-glass menus, offering limited but thoughtful selections that enhance the overall experience without overwhelming the customer.
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The Risk of Alienating Visitors
When wineries set their by-the-glass prices too high, they risk alienating casual visitors who might otherwise have stayed for an extra pour or considered joining the wine club. If a guest is doing the mental math and wondering whether they’re overpaying for something the winery produces on-site, that’s not a good sign.
The goal should be to create an experience that feels like an invitation—one that makes guests want to linger, relax, and return. Price sensitivity is real, even for luxury consumers, and creating a perception of value doesn’t mean undercutting the quality of the wine. Instead, it means offering an experience that feels balanced and rewarding.
A Path Forward
To remain competitive and relevant, wineries need to strike a balance between tradition and innovation. By adjusting their by-the-glass pricing strategies, they can create spaces where education and enjoyment coexist. The tasting room can remain a cornerstone of a winery’s brand story while also evolving to meet modern customer expectations.
Here are a few strategies wineries might consider:
Join the Conversation
I believe that tasting rooms are more than just retail spaces—they’re brand-building hubs that foster loyalty and connection. The by-the-glass pricing strategy plays a significant role in shaping that experience.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you seen wineries strike the right balance between pricing and experience? How do you see tasting rooms evolving to meet customer expectations? Let’s discuss!
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President Recipe for Success, Inc.
1 个月As a very successful hospitality mentor said to me years ago - “we aren’t selling the steak, we are selling the sizzle.” Holds true today - what’s your sizzle?
General Manager at Mullan Road Cellars
1 个月This is a great piece, Adam. I'm excited to read articles as well. The industry needs more stuff like this. I've actually stopped visiting tasting rooms in the area because I've noticed that so many are clones of each other. Great people, wonderful wines...but the experience itself is predictable and not as engaging as it once was. I think wineries need to really start thinking about what the next evolution in tasting looks like - how to make the experience relevant to younger generations and what they can do to compete against not just other wineries, but breweries, distilleries, restaurants, bars, nightclubs...they're all vying for the same $. I also think we need to be looking at consumer behaviors / psychographics outside of wine consumption for cues that might help steer us in a new direction. More exclusivity, more customization, better perks for members, more freedom to experiment and play in the spaces and with the products. Tasting rooms need to FUN...there has to be a reason to return time and time again, and I think it's even more important here in WA where we lack the same sexy destination appeal as Napa, Sonoma and the Willamette Valley.
President, DURABLE Wealth Management
1 个月Adam, I completely agree. I have visited nearly fifty different wineries on two continents in the last 35 years. Beginning with Napa and Sonoma back in the early nineties. Then tastings were free even at the poshest of locations except maybe for a reserve Cabernet which might have cost $5 and you get to keep the glass! More recently, even in the subpar growing locations (I won't name names), a tasting room thinks (and maybe successfully) they can get away with charging $5, $6, or even $10 a 1-3 oz. pour for a wine they grew, fermented and bottled on-site. No middlemen. I am not being cheap, I can afford the wine but as a business owner it upsets my sensibilities when I see pricing that doesn't make sense when compared to the experience, the education (or lack thereof), the ambiance, heck even the level of service offered. In short, I just won't buy or even enter.
Building a family winery from scratch by producing world class wines, staying true to a vision, and fostering relationships, one at a time.
1 个月Winery owner here. TLDR… it’s apples and oranges. I appreciate what you’re saying and I certainly understand where you’re coming from. For the very large wineries who sell the vast majority of their wine through wholesale I think you may have a point that might help them build a degree of loyalty amongst the tiny percentage of consumers who live close enough to the tasting room to take advantage of that. Over the last 15 years, I have witnessed a transition from the classic tasting room model to what I refer to as the wine bar model. To a lot of people the difference between a tasting room and a wine bar is very subtle and perhaps imperceptible. From a business perspective, however, it is a very different beast. There’s not enough space here in a LinkedIn comment to get into details but I would say this… Tasting rooms are built on the idea that people will buy multiple bottles to take home and hopefully join a club or mailing list. Wine bars are transactional and operate much more like a restaurant. Wineries have to know which business model they are operating and they have to structure their cost and their pricing appropriately for the business model.
Thanks for offering encouragement and concrete ideas to U.S. wine businesses struggling to adapt in 2025. Our industry needs new voices & new ideas to evolve. Happy Selling!