Dating, for those of us who are tired of being single, can be a royal pain. From speed dating to online dating, from the taverns to the grocery stores, we have several outlets where we can meet potential matches. But, unfortunately, these matches often extinguish before they can light even the slightest spark, leaving those of us frustrated to long for the days of arranged marriages: someone just marry me and give my parents a llama.

My own personal experiences have led me to meet dates a variety of ways. I’ve been set up by friends, I’ve been set up by computers, I’ve gone to functions for singles, and, of course, I’ve met many a date at the bars. But, it wasn’t until recently that I found a dating medium I truly enjoyed: wine tasting for singles.

A wine tasting for singles is similar to a regular wine tasting event. A sommelier presented three red wines and three white wines, conveying the regions where the wines were from and their general flavors. Each wine was tasted one at a time, appetizers were served, and people dared each other to take a sip out of the spit bucket. The main difference between a wine tasting for singles and a regular wine tasting is simple: no wedding rings allowed.

Why A Wine Tasting?

Now, for those of you who are in the dating scene, the lack of wedding rings at wine tastings for singles might not be enough persuasion: you may be posing the question of what makes a wine tasting superior to meeting people through other means. Well, I’m glad you asked. To begin, at a wine tasting for singles, as opposed to going to the bars or hoping to meet someone in the laundromat, you automatically have the advantage of knowing three things: everyone there is single, everyone there is looking, and, most importantly, everyone there enjoys wine. Having these three things in common arms you with the ability to approach that cute stranger, bat your eyes, point to his Pinot Noir and ask, “Are you going to finish that?”

Is It Better Than Online Dating?

A wine tasting for singles is much more realistic than meeting people online, otherwise known as spouse shopping. This is because online people can easily pretend to be anyone: the old can pretend to be young, the short can pretend to be tall, the men can pretend to be women and vice versa. Along these lines, because the majority of communication is nonverbal, meeting someone in person at a wine tasting allows you to gauge certain things that you wouldn’t be able to see in an email. From the tone of a person’s voice, to the way they carry themselves, to the way they sip their wine, body language is a major element in discovering what a person is truly like.