How do I get more sales out of every tasting room visitor?

Tasting room and hospitality

Fewer people are walking in, so the money is in what each visitor does once they're there. Treat the tasting room as the top of your funnel, track how many guests buy or join, and give your staff a better script before you spend on the building.

Tasting room traffic is falling about 2 to 3% a year, in every region and at every size. It isn't bouncing back on its own.

Spend per guest has been carrying the channel: Napa's average order hit $454. That only works for so long when the door count keeps dropping.

The plays that work treat the tasting room as where a relationship starts, not the only register. They track conversion from walk-in to buyer to club member, they give every wine a reason to buy, and they put something surprising in the flight. A rare white in the lineup is one way.

Before cutting your tasting fee, decide who you want through the door. 15.5% of wineries cut fees last year, and only about a quarter saw more visitors. Start by counting your conversion rate this month.

Plays

Every play

Steal This PlayTurn your best customers into hosts of a wine nightOffer current customers 50% off a 3-pack or 6-pack if they host friends for a wine night within 30 days. New drinkers try wine in living rooms, not tasting rooms, and a friend is the most credible salesperson you have.From the May 27, 2026 issue OpportunityPut a rare white in the flight and give every white a jobWhite and sparkling wines are holding up better than reds, and a rare white gives a tasting the surprise a lineup of reds can't. Sell each one by the occasion it fits, not its technical notes.From the May 7, 2026 issue

Numbers

Every number

15.5%15.5% of wineries cut their tasting fees, and most saw little changeSilicon Valley Bank, Jun 9, 2026 $454Napa's average direct-to-consumer order hit $454Silicon Valley Bank, Jun 9, 2026 2 to 3%Tasting room traffic is falling about 2 to 3% a yearSilicon Valley Bank, Jun 9, 2026

Prompts

Every prompt

Operations promptThe inventory and seasonal plannerAn operational checklist for the season ahead: supply orders, tank and barrel maintenance, and tasting room labor.Marketing promptThe local partnership content engineThree collaboration post ideas with local restaurants, hotels, or influencers, plus the message to send each partner.Operations promptThe staff training and vibe guideA one-page cheat sheet for new tasting room hires, written in your brand's voice.Marketing promptRedesign your website with LovableDescribe the site you want and Lovable builds a full redesign concept for your winery, brewery, or distillery: layout, design, and copy.Creative promptA professional infographic from one promptTurn a behind-the-scenes process, like grape to glass, into a clean infographic for social, your blog, or the tasting room.

Tools

Every tool

Free to startClaudeAn AI writing and strategy partner for copy, analysis, and thinking through business problems.Free to startChatGPTThe most widely used AI assistant, strong at customer-facing writing and quick visuals.Free to startGoogle GeminiGoogle's AI, and a creative studio for realistic images from a plain description.Free to startChatGPT ImagesImage creation inside ChatGPT: brand kits from your website and social creative from one bottle photo.Paid plan neededClaude CoworkClaude working with the files on your own computer, producing finished documents, spreadsheets, and decks.

Issues

Every issue

Work with Jeremy

Reading the plays is the easy part.

Changing what your team does on Monday morning is harder. Book a 30-minute strategy session with me, and we'll work out what to change first and how we could work together.

Book your session

30 minutes on Google Meet

Plays

Numbers

Prompts

Tools

Issues

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