Scottish wine events business brings tasting to your home through Zoom during lockdown

Several events had been planned, including a new one, Edinburgh Uncorked, aimed at introducing people to quality but reasonable wines, which had to be postponed.

But wine connoisseurs and those with a passing interest didn’t have long to wait before a solution was found. With pubs and bars being closed, and likely to remain shut for a little while longer, people have missed out on that social interaction having a drink together offers. And if rising wine sales in lockdown are anything to go by, then there has been a fair amount of interest surrounding the world of wine.

Ms Thompson, of Edinburgh-based Wine Events Scotland, said: “I just remember looking at lockdown beginning and thinking what were we going to do. The whole business was based around events and people meeting socially. I had built up the business and wanted to keep it going so I just had to come up with a way of how to actually do it.

“I run wine workshops once a month which can be quite informal. We pick a subject and select eight or so wines and keep it friendly. I had also been planning the first Edinburgh Uncorked in May, which was all about great wines at great prices. And even the annual FizzFeast event in November is looking like it might have to be postponed until 2021. We had a lot to look forward to.”

Keen to work with small, independent producers and retailers, Ms Thompson realised there was a way to bring people together socially.

She added: “We really had to think hard as to what might work. How could we do tastings in people’s homes. The result is online wine tastings via Zoom, with six wines delivered in advance of the sessions, with three wines sampled as part of a tutored tasting one evening and the further three sampled the following week. We are very much about promoting responsible drinking so when people sign up there is a Tasting Kit which includes a wine saver pump and two stoppers, so that any unfinished wine can be saved.”

One thing the online wine tasting events have allowed is the chance to introduce international guests.

Ms Thompson added: “I like to bring in a guest expert and while we might have been in lockdown that has presented us with some new opportunities. We have had experts from Lebanon, Portugal and South Africa who have been able to attend the wine tasting events. We have about 15 people in the sessions who are all interacting which has been lovely to see.

“I think we have also gained a lot from the Zoom wine tastings as we have only been sampling three at a time. It means we have been able to go in to greater detail and have been able to talk more about food pairings and go into the aroma and taste profile."

Initially, Ms Thompson thought the Zoom event might appeal to people from around Edinburgh who normally attend her regular tasting events, but the online tastings are bringing wine lovers together from as far afield as Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands. She has even been asked if she will continue with the online tastings after lockdown ends.

The new approach to the business has also been a novel way of bringing families together.

Ms Thompson added: “We have a family who make the virtual tastings a way to come together. We have siblings who live in different parts of the UK and haven’t been able to travel to see one another in lockdown so have met online and made the tastings a way of keeping in touch.”

While it might be sometime before all restrictions are ease and businesses can return to normal, Ms Thompson said the virtual aspect of wine tastings events has opened it up to a different audience.

“This is something which started out of necessity, but it has meant the events have been far more accessible. We have reached people who might not have been able to come to the events. Often one person has to drive, or you might live or work remotely so this has allowed us to welcome in a new audience.”