Sick of buying the wrong wine at the grocery store? Let Bright Cellars help! Bright Cellars is the data-driven wine subscription that matches you to wines you’re sure to love. Simply take their 7-question taste palate quiz, and get matched to wines from all over the world based on your unique taste profile. Pick from 4 or 6 bottle subscriptions, and choose your frequency – monthly, quarterly, whatever! Skip or cancel anytime. Perfect for planning (virtual) wine tastings with your besties and discovering your new favorite wine.
As they say, the best wines are the ones we drink with friends.
Do you ever catch yourself looking at old photos of you and friends, thinking, “I miss drinking wine with you!”? We certainly do. Like, all the time.
We get it. Everyone is super busy with work and family stuff, so getting your friend group together is tough – especially when it feels like it’s on you to assemble your crew.
You want to connect with the people who make you laugh, who build you up, and who love you no matter what, but between juggling your own calendar and everyone else’s conflicting schedules across multiple time zones, a simple meetup has become anything but simple. Plus, it’s not like you can just hop on a plane right now.
Here’s the good news. Your besties are only a phone call – or Zoom call – away. These days you don’t need to be in the same room to have a reunion. All you need is a bottle of wine and a solid wifi connection, and you can make amazing new memories together.
Not sure how to get started? We’ve got you covered with five ways a little vino can help you connect with your nearest and dearest pals.
#1 Plan a Virtual Happy Hour
Remember the days when you could sit on a patio with all of your friends, gabbing for hours? Well, when you can’t all make it to the same patio, you can celebrate happy hour together from the comfort of your own homes.
A virtual happy hour is a great way to unwind after an emotionally draining week and check in on your friends. Get some snacks, pour a glass of your favorite wine, and get ready to dish.
If you’re someone who craves structure, you might want to make it a wine-themed game night or trivia night. Check out these 27 wine trivia questions to get the party started.
When you play a game like How Well Do you Know Your BFF (like the newly weds game, but for your friends), or Never Have I Ever: Wine Edition, you might even learn something new about your oldest friends.
#2 Host a Virtual Wine Tasting
Typically at a wine tasting, you and your friends would sample the same set of wines and talk about what you notice – i.e., the flavors, aromas, and nuances of each one. When you host a virtual wine tasting, you may have to get a little creative, but hey – that’s nothing you can’t handle.
First, pick a category. Does your group love red? Rosé? White wine? Whichever you pick, stay in one lane.
You may want to choose one varietal – say, Riesling – from different regions of the world, or different varietals from the same place, such as bold reds from California. You’ll want everyone to come prepared with three or bottles – though you’ll only sample a small (2-3 oz) glass of each wine.
Take a sip and talk about what you taste. You may be surprised to learn how the same grape grown in different parts of the world can taste totally different. For instance, if you’re sampling a Malbec from France and your friend’s drinking a Malbec from Argentina, pay attention to the different adjectives you use to describe the wine.
Remember to use spit buckets and, of course, have some snacks nearby so you’re not drinking on an empty stomach.
#3 Make an Easy Wine Cork Craft
Is there anything better than a craft night with your best girls and a glass of wine? We think not.
Save up your corks and pick a craft that you’re all into, like this adorable wine cork picture frame that’s perfect for displaying a photo of you and your friends.
If someone in your group is getting married or having a baby, this is also a great opportunity to make some shower gifts together. Here are some easy DIY ideas for wine cork wedding decorations and wine cork baby shower favors.
#4 Take a Virtual Vineyard Tour
Hopefully – someday – you’ll be able to take an amazing week-long vineyard vacation with your friends. In the meantime, why not bring wine country to you?
Organize a group “outing” to a virtual vineyard where you can explore the land and learn about how wine is made – all while sipping vino, of course.
A virtual tour of any of the incredible, historic vineyards in Napa Valley would be a solid choice, or you may want to choose a winery that’s local to you or one of your pals. Maybe you’ll start with the person who moved the furthest away from the place where you met so everyone in the group can learn a little something about that region. Encourage everyone to choose a kind of wine that’s made in the region of the winery, so it really feels like you’re there in person.
#5 Give your Bestie a Personalized Wine Experience
What better way to send a little love than with a bottle of wine that’s tailored to your friend’s tastes? Bright Cellars is a perfect start for someone who may need some help selecting a bottle. All your friend will need to do is take a quiz (no studying required), and Bright Cellars will help curate a box of wines that they’re sure to love.
Plus, if you and your friend are both members, you’ll have an excuse to call up and say, “want to get together for a drink?” Even though you may be in different places, you won’t have to miss drinking wine with them anymore.
Our friends at Bright Cellars are offering Greetabl readers 50% off your first box! Simply click here to take their wine quiz, and never choose the wrong wine again!
In Vino Finito
Just because everyone’s far away and super busy doesn’t mean you can’t connect with your people. A virtual hangout with your friends and your favorite wine is the perfect way to pick up right where you left off.
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Do you always seem to choose the wrong wine? Does the grocery store wine aisle make you feel paralyzed with indecision? Bright Cellars can help with that. Bright Cellars is the data-driven wine subscription service started by two best buds who met while studying at MIT. Their co-founders, Richard and Joe, noticed something interesting while rooming together in Boston: Whenever they had friends over, they could mix up cocktails and choose a great selection of beer, but had no idea how to pick wine. Neither could their friends.
So they decided to make it easier for millennials and anyone else who wants to discover their favorite wine by starting Bright Cellars. Together, they wrote an algorithm that uses data to match you to wine you’re sure to love. Simply take their easy 7-question taste palate quiz, and their algorithm matches you to wine from around the world based on your taste profile. After successfully launching their website in 2014, they moved to Wisconsin, established their headquarters in Milwaukee, hired a growing team of passionate wine lovers, and sold their millionth bottle of wine!