Wine Tasting and Wine Courses in Melbourne: The Best Way to Learn, Socialise and Explore New Flavours
If you’re looking to ways to meet new people and make friends in Melbourne, joining a wine tasting is a great way to connect over an interest and passion - especially when Melbourne is famous for its food and wine culture. Whether you are a beginner who only knows “red or white” or someone who wants to deepen your understanding of varietals, regions and tasting techniques, attending a wine tasting is a fun way to expand your knowledge.
Even better, many wine tasting events now blend education with social connection. You learn something new while meeting people who share your curiosity about wine.
Why Wine Tasting Is So Popular For Making New Friends
Wine tasting events have become a go to activity across Melbourne because they offer:
A relaxed environment
A guided experience that takes the pressure off
A chance to try multiple wines in one session
Built in conversation starters
A social atmosphere without feeling overwhelming
You get to explore everything from local Victorian wines to international styles, all while enjoying a night out that feels polished but approachable.
A Social Way to Meet New People
Wine tasting and wine courses naturally bring people together. It’s perfect for attending solo as you are surrounded by others who are there for the same reason: to have a greater appreciation for wine. However, we know wine courses can be expensive and a big time commitment. If your primary purpose is to meet new people over a fun activity, a wine tasting hosted by Conscious Connection may be more your vibe.
Our events attract people in their 20s and 30s, who are a little adventurous and open to attending events solo to see where the night takes them. Everyone comes to learn about wine in a fun, casual, social environment which takes the pressure off coming up with small talk. And of course, the wine helps make conversation easier too!
What to expect at a Conscious Connection Wine Tasting?
You may have come across our infamous ‘Pour Decisions Club’ on social media. If this event has sparked your curiosity, but you need a little nudge to convince you to book a ticket - this is what you can expect:
Attendees: the Pour Decisions Club attracts 100 - 150 people to the event. Although this sounds like a lot, it’s a seated tasting so you’re in groups of 6 - 8 at a time. Since gaining popularity, Conscious Connection often splits the event by age group so check to see if the event is for the 25 - 35 or 30 - 40 age groups.
Introducing yourself: once everyone arrives, the host will give you instructions to find a table to sit on. Sometimes the host will play a game that allows people to share their hobbies and interests to make it easier to find which table or group of people you’d like to sit with first. There’s opportunity to switch tables and mingle so don’t worry if you don’t initially gel with your first table.
Guided tasting: the event is structured around the wine tasting (approx 6 wines) and while the sommelier talks you through the varietals, attendees have to guess which wine it belongs to. There’s usually a prize for anyone who guesses all the wines correctly.
this activity is an easy way to make conversation with your table, while squeezing in your typical getting to know you questions. The wine tasting makes eveything less awkward and conversations feel easy.
Food pairings: food is included and will come out throughout the night but make sure you notify the host if you have a dietary requirement.
there will be an opportunity to switch tables and at this point, everyone’s caught the vibe and everyone becomes easier to chat to. Before switching tables, the host encourages everyone to exchange phone numbers / social handles.
Social Time: once the wine tasting is complete and the winners are announced, many people stick around to mingle at the bar. The friends you met at the first table pop up again to introduce you to people they met at their second table, and you do the same. Before you know it, everyone in the room is mingling.
Tips before attending your first Pour Decisions Club
To make sure you get the most out of your wine tasting experience with Conscious Connection, here are some tips to take with you:
don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Everyone will have a different reason for coming and what you find out about someone in a couple of hours may not reflect who they are as a person as a whole. Be open to meeting and connecting with as many people at the event as possible. You can always wittle down your connections after the event.
if you’re single looking to find a potential date, don’t make it your one and only agenda for the night. People often see right through you if that is your goal or intention, especially when many people come to make genuine friendships. Keep in mind, friendships are a great foundation and window to more opportunities so if you switch your focus to making friends and expanding your social circle, you’ll give off better energy and you’ll probably also have a better time.
be the instigator at the end of the night. If there were people who you connected with and want to hang out with again, grab their number or socials before you leave and send them a quick message at the end of the night: Hey, it was lovely meeting you tonight! I had so much fun and you were a great vibe. Let me know when you’d be free to <insert activity that you bonded over>.
Remember to have fun. Even if you’ve come off a tough day at work or ran into bad traffic on your way there, try to leave it at the door. Your attitude on the night and openness to meeting people will dictate how successful you are at attracting the people you want to become friends with.
The Conscious Connection wine tasting attracts adventurous, ‘yes’ people which makes it an easy space to find new friendships. If this sounds like the event for you, head to our upcoming events page to book the next Pour Decisions club!
