Guildford, Surrey and this one was a 23rd birthday in an apartment. Eleven people, mix of close friends and a few meeting for the first time, so you’ve got that slightly unknown dynamic at the start.
Marcus had organised it for his partner, Laura. He’d been to one before for Tom’s graduation, so he knew exactly what he was doing. Laura knew what was coming as well because he’d told her all about it, but the rest of the group had no idea.
That’s always quite a nice setup.
He kept the brief simple. Laura’s not a big red wine drinker, so we went four whites and three reds. No sparkling, nothing too over the top. Just keep it relaxed, make it feel like a good night rather than a big formal occasion.
When everyone first arrived, it had that usual feel. Drinks in hand, small conversations, people figuring each other out a bit. You could tell a couple of them weren’t quite sure what the wine tasting part was going to be.
But honestly, within about twenty minutes, that completely changed.
Once we got into the first couple of wines and started talking through things, people just got involved. Giving opinions, disagreeing, backing themselves. That’s normally the turning point.
You could see it happening in real time. Exactly what Marcus had hoped for.
By the middle of the night, the whole group was fully into it. People moving around, chatting to different people, comparing notes. It just felt like a proper birthday night rather than something structured.
Laura was loving it, but the best part was watching her friends. Especially the ones who didn’t know what to expect. They went from a bit unsure to completely hooked.
By the end of the night, Laura’s friend Jess was already on her phone trying to figure out how to book one for her own birthday later in the year. That’s always a good sign.
The next day, Laura messaged asking about the Sauvignon Blanc we’d had, and a couple of her friends who hadn’t heard of Wine Night In before said they wanted to do their own.
If you’re planning something similar, find out more about hosting a birthday wine tasting in Guildford.
