6 ways to Make a Tasting-Notes Video that is Completely Different


So, we’ve all done it, the cliché tasting-notes video. The winemaker stands in front of the barrels and pours a glass, swirls it, sniffs it, tastes it and then talks about it.

OK, so that makes for a great foundation video, especially if it’s done with beautiful lighting and the background is beautiful. But what happens when you want to go beyond that, when you want to stand out?

Here are six great ideas to break out of the tasting notes video mold and get your wines noticed.

  1. Rock it out. Take your cues from music videos. Pick a song (royalty free, of course) that you love or fits your wine or brand well. Take gorgeous lifestyle video of your tasting room, swirls, pours, people enjoying the wine. Match the cuts to the beat. Exclude Talking head or voice altogether and have some fun with graphics and words floating above the images.
  2. Use the same message, but different venue. Instead of winemaker behind a barrel out in the vineyards or in the barrel or tank room, place the winemaker somewhere unusual: in a candlelit bath, on a tandem bike, standing on her head in a yoga studio, hiding under the table at a posh restaurant. Have fun with this one.
  3. Go epic. Get a camera on a crane to do sweeping views of the vineyards and the winemaker. Have the winemaker stand on top of a porch while you film from above. Long shots are key here. Higher vantage points and epic music can add an over the top feel. Think Nick Cannon standing on the Golden Gate Bridge top announcing America’s Got Talent, or Jeff Probst introducing the opening episode of Survivor from his speeding boat. Use any rooftops and higher vantage points to bring your own epic feel to your wines.
  4. Go iconic. Pick an iconic commercial and remake it as a spoof or simply a serious knock-off. Take the time to analyze what works in the commercial you like, pace? Music? Messaging? Style? Can you accomplish the same thing with a smaller budget? As long as you understand the essence of the commercial, there is always a way to capture what works without breaking the bank.
  5. Go simple. Show the pouring of a glass of wine in slow motion in 30 seconds of film. What interesting dialogue can you overlay that gets your tasting notes across uniquely? What two personalities can you have as voice over’s discussing the wine? Are they arguing? Are they best guy friends joking about each other’s missed catch of the day? Are they new lovers flirting and thinking about the rest of their evening together? Think human personalities and relationships. Pop the tasting notes into the conversation cleverly.
  6. Feature another passion. What does the winemaker like to do in his downtime? Play tennis? How about that glass of wine shot on the court with the winemaker in her tennis whites, blurred in the background? By the side of a stream as the winemaker is out in his waders. Out on the golf course? Sailing? Hiking? Racecar driving? What makes your winemaker interesting? Even stamp collecting can be made sexy with wine!