By Petar Velickovic, DipWSET | Certified Wine Educator | Thirsty and Wise
Choosing wine can be intimidating. Even as a wine educator, especially as one—I get it! And saying “yes” to a full glass (or dare I say, a whole bottle?) when exploring new styles can feel like a blind date for your palate.
That’s where wine flights aka – the matchmaker comes in. Just a few sips of wine and a lot of choice. Takes off the pressure, and now you get to compare, contrast, and discover what you actually enjoy.
How can we make this better? Here, hold my wine.
Let’s pair the approachability of a wine flight with the precision of a wine preservation system and the skill set of wine education.
Now – it isn’t just about tasting wine! It’s about transforming the experience—for your guests, your team, and your bottom line.
What Is a Wine Flight?
A wine flight is a curated set of small pours—usually 2 to 3 ounces each—served together with intention, grouped by theme.
The possibilities are endless:
- Three Pinot Noirs from different corners of the world
- A flight of rich, oak-aged whites
- Or even a rosé tour from Provence to Macedonia
…to name a few.
Structured just enough to guide the experience, but flexible enough to stay interesting.
What makes them such a powerful tool for both guest engagement and business growth?
Wine flights are so much more than a fun way to spend time. They’re a guided tasting experience that invites exploration, side-by-side comparison, and palate development. Perfect for the guest who doesn’t want to commit to a full glass, but wants to taste, learn, and discover.
And that is how a curious guest becomes a loyal and knowledgeable customer.
Why Wine Flights Are Perfect for Learning
People just learn better when they can compare, taste side-by-side.
As a wine educator, comparative wine tastings are my educational tool, so I see it in action. Tastings are where theory turns to understanding. That is where it clicks!
You could say – there is a reason why WSET, the world’s leading provider of wine qualifications built its courses around comparative flight tasting.
Now imagine offering that same experience to your guests and staff—right on your wine list. With just 16–20 benchmark wines in rotation, you can design wine flights that mirror the structure of formal wine education.
Guests get to learn while they taste.
Your team trains through service.
And you don’t need a classroom to make it happen.
The Game-Changer: By The Glass® Wine Preservation System
This is where smart tech steps in.
The By The Glass® wine preservation system isn’t just a cool looking machine—it’s a business tool that extends bottle life, controls costs, and delivers a better guest experience.
Here’s what it brings to the table:
- Preserves open wine bottles for up to 21 days
- Offers precise pours—tasting, half-glass, or full
- Allows RFID self-service for guests
- Tracks usage and sales with built-in analytics
Think less waste, better margins, and wines that stay fresh for longer. Served perfectly – every single time. That’s the power of modern wine preservation.
A Smarter, Interactive Wine Tasting Experience
What this would look like:
A guest walks up to your wine dispenser, scans a display card with a QR code and is guided through a “Tour of Italy” wine flight. They sample Barbera, Chianti, and Nero d’Avola…and are guided with a short video or tasting note from a certified wine educator.
It’s not just a tasting. It’s a guided, tech-enabled experience that makes wine feel accessible. De-snobbed. Simplified.
That’s what turns guests into repeat customers.
And servers into storytellers.
And tasting into talked-about experiences.
Why It’s a Win-Win for Your Wine Business
Let’s get practical. Here’s what this system delivers for your operation:
- Higher check averages – Guests are more willing to explore premium wines by the ounce
- Less spoilage – Thanks to top-tier wine preservation, every bottle goes further
- Stronger sales team – Educated staff sell with confidence
- Stand-out experiences – Wine flights + tech = something worth sharing
It’s not just about serving better wine. It’s about building a smarter wine program.
A Win for Your Guests
And this is where it all comes down to:
- Affordable wine tasting without pressure
- Try premium wines without committing to a full glass
- Learn while sipping—guided by tech, videos and/or friendly, knowledgeable staff
- A personalized experience that feels, well…easy
Remember back in the days when wine was so intimidating? Well, now it is something to play with, to explore. To enjoy! Wasn’t that the point, in the first place?
Ready to Build Your Wine Flight Program?
Whether you run a wine bar, restaurant, or hotel lounge, this is your chance to create a next-level tasting experience that drives loyalty, educates your staff, lifts revenue, and sets you apart.
By combining smart wine preservation systems and By The Glass® technology with curated wine flights and real education, you turn passive sipping into active discovery.
And that’s how you build not just a better wine list—but a better business.
Need help creating your wine flight concepts or training your team? I’d love to guide you.
Stay curious.
Stay Thirsty and Wise!