We've all been there. You're planning a perfect wine tasting day with friends, scrolling through reviews and star ratings, trying to guess which winery will give you the experience you're looking for. Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you waste an afternoon and walk away with wine you didn't even want.
We love going wine tasting. It's a great way to spend time with friends and discover new wineries and wines. That's what it's all about for us: having fun with people we enjoy and finding great new wines to take home.
But too often, planning a tasting day feels like a guessing game. We built PourPlan because we knew there had to be a better way, and two experiences really drove that point home.
The first experience: pressured into buying wine we didn't like
One afternoon we walked into a winery in the Woodinville Warehouse District. It looked promising based on Yelp and Google reviews, and they offered a refundable tasting fee with purchase.
But when we sat down, the wines just weren't for us. The style and flavor profiles didn't match what we typically enjoy. We didn't want to be rude, so we finished the tasting, but we weren't excited about any of the wines.
Here's where it got tricky. Since our tasting fee was credited toward a purchase, we felt pressure to buy something. We left with two bottles we weren't enthusiastic about, and when we opened them at home, our initial instincts were right. By buying wine we turned a short disappointment into multiple nights of disappointment, and paid for the privilege.
The second experience: sticker shock
On another day we stopped into an upscale tasting room in downtown Woodinville. The space was beautiful. The tasting fee was $25 per person, and the wines were excellent.
But the bottles all started at $60. We liked the wine, but it wasn't worth that price point to us. Still, with $50 of tasting fee credit in play, we bought two bottles we probably wouldn't have purchased otherwise. Had we known the pricing up front, we likely would have picked a different spot that better matched our budget.
The bigger problem
Both experiences had the same root issue: we didn't have enough information to choose the right place for the kind of day we wanted.
And it's not just about wine styles or price points. Sometimes you're looking for a casual patio with live music. Other times you want a quieter tasting with a knowledgeable pourer. Maybe you want to bring your dog or sit by a cozy fireplace on a winter day. The information that matters most for planning a great day is often the hardest to find.
That's the gap PourPlan fills. Instead of playing guessing games with your precious weekend time, you can make informed choices about where to go.
How PourPlan helps you plan better days
PourPlan shows you what matters when you're planning a tasting day. You can explore wine styles, price points and tasting fee policies before you arrive. You can see experience details like photos, amenities and atmosphere so you know what to expect.
The platform helps you plan your entire outing, keep track of reservation requirements and share your plans with friends. And after your visit, you can save notes about where you went and what you liked, building your own personal guide for even better future trips.
We're not trying to eliminate spontaneity from wine tasting. We're just making sure that when you do decide to explore somewhere new, you have the information you need to pick places that match what you're looking for.
What's next
We built PourPlan to make wine tasting more fun and less frustrating. It helps you plan better days, discover great new places and get more out of every outing.
Ready to stop gambling on your next wine tasting adventure? Give PourPlan a try and see how much better your next outing can be when you know what to expect.