This West Chester Wine-Tasting Company Brings a Sommelier to You

Sommsation’s in-home wine-tasting / Photograph by Cory Foote / Styling by Kelsi Windmiller

Looking to upgrade your at-home wine game? West Chester-based Sommsation will help you out with its bespoke tasting experiences: An in-the-flesh expert will come to your gathering and guide you through sips from one of the company’s 30-plus partner wineries, from Fleury Estate in Napa to  Corazón del Sol in Mendoza, Argentina. 

Pick your date, drink and guest count (eight to 12 is best for in-home events), and Sommsation will match you with a somm. Or scope out the folks closest to you — seven are in the Philly area — and choose a winner based on their profiles.

“I call it online dating for wine,” says lead sommelier Elyse Lovenworth.

You’ll consult with your sommelier on suggested wines: Lovenworth is particularly excited about the nectar from Authentique Wine Cellars in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which Sommsation recently added to its lineup. “It’s pinot noir but with a lot of personality,” she says. And we recently enjoyed a tasting of Tamber Bey’s 2019 Deux Chevaux Vineyard cabernet sauvignon, a lush, full-bodied wine with notes of blackberry, vanilla bean and warm spices.

You’ll also collaborate with your sommelier on tasting style, whether you want something academic or an elevated dinner party.

The bottles will be delivered, and your sommelier will appear on the day-of to lead the sesh. A sommelier will typically arrive about 30 minutes early, to ensure the wine is at the appropriate temperature and the glassware is set, and stay for the same amount of time after the event ends to tidy up. And, who knows, you might end up with a new best bud: “I keep in touch with almost everybody I’ve poured wine for,” says Lovenworth.

From $55 for a two-bottle tasting. 

Published as “Sip Simplicity” in the October 2023 issue of Philadelphia magazine.