A local wine bar is providing wine for 10 people in my home for a private wine-tasting party. What is the standard tipping? Per person, per group, set amount?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
I'm really not sure there is a standard for tipping for an in-home wine tasting. I would think you should consider a number of elements to determine your approach, particularly how many people are needed to manage the tasting as well as the overall scale and complications of service. Are you being charged a fixed fee for the event? If so, a simple solution would be to add a percentage - 15% or 20% - as you would in a restaurant. Or, you could give an arbitrary amount of your own determination to the main organizer/presenter and smaller sums to any service staff, such as $50 and $20, respectively. This is really for you to decide, assuming the wine bar has not asked for a specific gratuity as part of the arrangement. My personal inclination would be to be sure any service personnel receive some sort of tip in return for their time and efforts.
