Booking your Corporate Wine Tasting

Ready to book?

So you have decided that you would like to organise a corporate wine tasting for yourself and your colleagues? This helpful guide will assist you through the booking process with Grape Escapes.

1. Before Contacting Grape Escapes

Who is going on your corporate wine tasting?

Prices can vary depending on the size of your group, therefore it is a good idea to work out a minimum and maximum number of participants prior to obtaining a quote. This will allow you to have a firm idea of how much the trip is going to cost. Grape Escapes can cater for corporate wine tastings of 2 to over 200 people. Larger groups can be more economical as fixed costs are shared out over a larger amount of people.

When considering what you would like to do on your trip, it is important to consider that some activities require a minimum number of participants, for example dining as the guests of a winemaker, while some activities, such as visiting some of the most prestigious châteaux, will not possible for larger groups.

Where do you want to go?

We can arrange corporate wine tastings in many of Europe’s premium wine regions and further information about where we travel to can be found in this helpful travel information table.

Knowing which wines you would like to drink on the trip is very helpful in establishing which region you would like to visit. For example, 99% of the wine produced in Champagne is sparkling, therefore those who do not like bubbles may not wish to visit the Champagne region. Our trips can also include non wine-related activities as well, therefore we can offer something for tee-totallers and pregnant women in addition to wine lovers as part of a corporate party.

Depending on when you are looking to travel and the primary reason for the trip, you may also wish to consider the likely climate / weather at the time of your trip and we can suggest which regions may be better at different times of year.

Travel

Once you are sure of where you would like to go, the next step is deciding how you would like to travel there. Information on travelling to specific regions can be found on the regional pages of the site and you will find a practical summary table here. Most of our guests travel from the United Kingdom, therefore you will find a vast amount of information regarding travel from here specifically. However, we welcome corporate groups from across the globe and would be happy to provide you with specific information about travelling to your preferred region from your particular country of residence.

We are able to arrange your flights and transfers as well as travel by executive coach, ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar.

When do you want to travel and for how long?

Grape Escapes can arrange corporate wine tasting events mid-week and weekends throughout the year and we will work entirely around your preferences. At this stage, you may only be able to establish which month you would like to travel and whether you’d like to travel during the week or over a weekend. This will be enough information to provide you with an initial proposal.

In the European wine world, April to June and September and October are the busiest months of the year and travel during these periods needs to be booked as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment. For those who are looking for the best rates, travelling between November and April and during July and August tend to be the most economical however please note that August in particular can be challenging as many European winemakers take their annual holiday at this time.

For individual group members who would like to stay longer and further explore the region, Grape Escapes can arrange additional nights’ accommodation for them.

Accommodation

We will require an idea of the type of accommodation that you are looking for in order to provide you with a quote and whether you will be requiring twin, double or single rooms. We can arrange accommodation in 3*, 4* or 5* hotels in the city centre or Châteaux and gîtes out in the vineyards.

Budget for your corporate wine tasting

This is probably the most important factor of your corporate wine tasting event.

Setting a budget is always difficult, however it is very important that we have an idea of how much your group would like to spend; We have created corporate wine tasting events from £150 per person to over £2000 per person, therefore sending you an itinerary at £900 per person if you are looking at a budget of half this would be unhelpful and likewise, if we create a trip at a considerable amount less than your budget, this may not offer the overall polished trip that you would be expecting.

Your quote will consist of a combination of travel, accommodation, meals, tour transport and activities. Although we will be unable to provide you with a break down of individual costs, we can certainly advise you about the factors that affect the price of your trip.

2. Contacting Grape Escapes

Once you have established as many of the above elements as possible, we would be delighted to hear from you by telephone or e-mail. You can reach us on +44 1920 468666 or at info@grapeescapes.net. We will issue you with an initial quote usually within two working days and this can then be amended as required to completely correspond with your requirements.
It is important to note that Grape Escapes quotes are valid for 28 days and availability cannot be guaranteed until we have received confirmation that you wish to book your trip, together with your deposit payment.

If the named accommodation / visits are not available, we will endeavour to find suitable alternatives of a similar grade and this may be subject to a supplement or a rebate depending on the price available. If you would like to request a visit to a specific vineyard or estate, we will do our utmost to arrange this, however all requests are subject to acceptance by the particular domain.

3. Securing your Booking

When you are completely satisfied with your proposal, we will send you a booking form for your trip. The completed booking form together with a deposit of £100 per person (or 20% of the total price if the total price per person exceeds £500) will be required in order to secure your booking. The final balance will usually be due 60 days before you travel.

Payments can be made by cheque or debit / credit card or directly into the Grape Escapes account via bank transfer. Grape Escapes is a fully bonded tour operator and information about your financial protection can be found on our financial protection page. Approximately two weeks after we have received all of the deposit payments, a booking confirmation will be issued to the group leader, detailing exactly what has been purchased.

4. Your Travel Pack

We will send you a detailed Grape Escapes travel pack three to four weeks before departure. The pack will contain any travel tickets, the group’s itinerary, vouchers for your hotel, tours and visits, a map of the region and a list of recommended restaurants.

Also included will be menu choices if we are arranging any meals for you. Groups are often required to eat the same dish from a fixed menu for the table (not withstanding any specific dietary requirements) which will often be chosen by the lead client in advance.

5. Amendments and Cancellations

Our standard terms and conditions also apply for corporate wine tasting events, and these can be found here.

And finally, enjoy your trip!