California Wine Country Is Bringing the Tasting Room to You
And how this temporary solution could also become a new wine tasting trend.
By Shana Clarke
April 03, 2020
Departures Magazine
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has hit “pause” on any wine country vacations, many wineries in California are finding ways to bring the experience into your living room via virtual tastings.
Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines in Russian River Valley started thinking about offering an online experience when several appointments scheduled for February canceled. Wanting to find a way to bring the informal, fun vibe that takes place during her normal sit-down tastings to the small screen, she created a calendar for virtual tastings on Zoom, running April 1 through 10. To correlate with the tasting schedule, she’s offering a variety of 3-packs for purchase. “What has been interesting is how many people are giving them as gifts to their friends and saying in the gift card, ‘I hope you can join us,'” she says. She’s also donating 5% of proceeds to Meals on Wheels in lieu of the usual bottle donations she provides for charity events. Noting how the quarantine mandate may be particularly challenging for senior citizens, she hopes the funds provide some form of relief for those most at risk...