Corporate tastings · Tacoma, Seattle & the South Sound
Put a sommelier in the room
Wine tastings and team building for companies — at your office, at a venue I arrange, in someone’s home, or on a call. Led by me, not a script.
What this actually is
The thing people are still referencing in March
Bringing people together over wine is, genuinely, one of my superpowers. Not because wine is magic, but because a tasting gives a room something to do with its hands and something to disagree about. Twenty minutes in, the people who never talk in meetings are arguing about whether they smell green pepper.
That’s the part you can’t get from a catered lunch or another escape room. And it’s why I teach rather than just pour — everyone leaves knowing something they didn’t, which is what makes them tell the story afterwards.
Wherever you are
I’ll come to you. Or not — your call
Most wine educators make you come to them. I’d rather remove that from your list.
Your office
Boardroom, kitchen, rooftop. I bring the wine, the glasses and everything else.
A venue I arrange
If you’d rather get people out of the building, I have places I work with around Tacoma and Seattle.
Someone’s home
Smaller teams, leadership dinners, end-of-year things that shouldn’t feel like work.
On a call
Distributed team? Bottles ship ahead, we taste together on screen. It works better than it sounds.
The sessions
Three that people ask for by name
How to Taste Like a Somm
90 minutes · 6–30 people The one that changes how people drink for good. We work through the actual tasting grid professionals use — look, smell, taste, decide — and by the end everyone can describe a wine without saying “I like it.” The local favourite, and the best one for a mixed group.
Pop & Pour
90 minutes · 6–30 people Champagne, and everything people get wrong about it. Why the bubbles matter, why the good stuff costs what it does, and how to open a bottle without taking someone’s eye out. Best for celebrations, closes and end-of-year.
Wine & Food, Properly
2 hours · 6–20 people Pairing as a skill rather than a rule book. We taste the same wine against four different things and let the room work out why one of them ruins it. The most hands-on of the three, and the one that generates the most argument.
Running a series rather than a one-off? Several companies book all three across a quarter. Tell me what you’re trying to do and I’ll build something for it.
What it costs
Simple, and all in
$95
per person · minimum 6 people
Travel within the South Sound included. Further afield, or a venue hire, and I’ll quote it separately — no surprises after the fact.
Every session includes
- The wine. Four to six bottles, chosen for the group and the session — not whatever’s on offer.
- Proper glassware. Brought and taken away again.
- Tasting notes for everyone, written by me in plain language rather than wine-speak.
- Me, for the whole thing — teaching, pouring and reading the room.
- Setup and cleanup. You do nothing but turn up.
You’re not booking an agency that sends whoever’s free. You’re booking me.
Who you’re hiring
I’ll be pouring
Twenty years in restaurants, wine sales and on the floor. I hold the WSET Diploma — one step below Master of Wine — and I teach Level 2 here in Tacoma. Champagne is my favourite thing to pour and the thing I’m asked for most.
- DipWSET
- Champagne Master
- 20 years
Before you ask
The questions every planner has
How far ahead do I need to book?
Two or three weeks is typically enough. Holiday season and summer book out earliest — if you’re planning a holiday thing, get it in the diary by October.
Some of our team doesn’t drink.
Good — tell me numbers and I’ll build it so nobody’s left holding a glass of water. There’s plenty to learn about wine without swallowing any of it, and I bring alternatives so the table still looks like a table.
Can you do this at 4pm on a Friday?
That’s the best possible time for it, and yes.
What do you need from us?
A table, chairs, and somewhere to rinse glasses. That’s it — I bring everything else, including the wine, the glassware and the notes.
Do you invoice?
Yes — an invoice goes out ahead of the event, and payment is usually due before the date. Terms shift a little with the size of the booking, so if your finance team needs something specific, tell me early and we’ll sort it.
What if we need to move the date?
Tell me as soon as you know and I’ll do everything I can. Dates move — people get sick, quarters slip, half the team ends up somewhere else. I’d rather find you a new date than hold you to an old one.
Let’s get it in the diary
Tell me the date and the headcount
That’s all I need to get started. I’ll come back with what I’d pour and what it costs, usually the same day.
Or just email me: kat@zenwineclub.com