We go to free wine tasting weekly. We watch the evening news, after which we NEED to drink so we learn about 6 wines before we go out to review a restaurant.
A couples times a month we pay to go to a wine tasting. The difference is very simple. At a free wine tasting there is rarely any food. Paid wine tasting are nearly always better wine than free wine events. Paid wine events are sit down events that last an hour verses ten minutes for a free one.
Most paid wine events are presented by a local rep in charge of importing that group of wine. That was the case with Drouhin wine tasting in October. It was held in the beautiful basement of North Loop Wine & Spirits on Washington in Mpls.
I think we paid $25 a piece for six wines that could be purchased after for a discount. There was about 40 people in attendance. Drouhin grow their wines in the Burgundy region of France. The winery was started by Maurice Drouhin in 1919 and it is still in the family. We tasted both reds and whites Noirs and Chardonnays. The wines were all very good but we left home more educated on Douhin Wines but did not choose to buy a bottle.