As WAYANA Wine Bar in Moda, Kadıköy, we organized a tasting event for the first time on Sunday, October 9, 2023. This event was of great importance to us. Because we were only a few months old, we were a brand new brand, we had the old BEPPE identity, but WAYANA was new. Our venue was used in the events we organized before, but we were not the moderators. Like this, we constantly turn around in our minds, "Is it better to do it this way?", "Is there something we forgot?" After a preparation process full of questions like this, the tasting day came.

There were two separate tasting sessions that we announced. The first one was between 14-16 o'clock, we held our two-hour event with 10 participants. An hour later, we held our second event with 12 people. The events took place without a hitch and we didn't experience any of the issues we were worried about. Now let's briefly describe our tasting process.

We make our target date for the tasting, the theme of the event and the wine selections in accordance with this theme one month in advance. If the wines we do not know are candidate candidates, we order them and taste them first. If there is no special reason, we add the wines we decide after tasting to the WAYANA Wine Menu for service.

Considering the pace of the participants in business life, we decided to do the tastings on Sundays and in a single session. (The reason it is a single session is because we learned our lesson from the first tasting event.) We start making announcements two weeks ago. We participate in the tasting through ticket sales. With one week left, we are designing and producing the printed materials that we will use in the tasting. One of these materials is the Tasting Agenda, which we have prepared according to the number of wines. Participants write down their own evaluations and take their booklets if they want.

On the tasting day, the kitchen section prepares the treats for our participating guests. The wines to be tasted are already waiting in our wine cabinets for their ideal temperatures. We do not prefer the wines to be prepared in advance and waiting in the glasses because of the concern that they will warm up. Our colleagues in the service pay the bill of this decision by being very tired, but it is worth their fatigue. Because each wine is prepared and distributed to our guests just before the tasting, the next wine is prepared during the tasting, the empty glass of the other is taken, a new one is given, etc.

We start the tasting by first explaining WAYANA, then the tasting region, and then by what criteria we will evaluate each wine during the tasting. After that, we evaluate each wine in turn through the eyes, nose and mouth and take our grades. At the end of the tasting, we choose the most popular wine of the day and bid farewell to our guests.

In the evening of Bozcaada tasting, the whole team was exhausted, but we were all smiling. Because most importantly, our guests left very satisfied. Isn't that the most beautiful of awards?