Client Entertainment Ideas for Banks and Financial Firms (2026): Wine Tastings, Dinners & Team Events

A seated wine tasting is a practical client entertainment format for banks and wealth managers: conversational, educational and easy for an advisor to host. Domaine de la Rivière, a family winery in the Russian River Valley, pours tastings in clients' and firms' offices in San Francisco and New York, hosts virtual tastings, and seats groups at its Windsor estate.

Below: how to book, the events financial firms typically host, why a tasting suits advisors and bankers, a format table by occasion, how an in-office tasting works, how virtual and hybrid tastings reach clients in other states, what to pour, a planning checklist, events for the firm's own staff, and where to hold client events near San Francisco and New York.

Where can a bank or wealth manager book a private client wine tasting?

Book directly with the winery. Domaine de la Rivière's family comes to your office and pours for the group in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York, and elsewhere by arrangement; hosts live virtual tastings with wines shipped ahead; and seats groups at its estate in Windsor. The form below goes directly to Marla Bedrosian.

Plan a client tasting

Tell us the group, the format and roughly when. It goes straight to Marla Bedrosian, who plans every event.

Where

At our officeVirtualAt the estate in SonomaNot sure yet

How many people

Up to 1010 to 2525 to 50More than 50

Your nameWork emailPhoneCompany optionalRoughly when optionalAnything else optional

Send to Marla

Marla reads every request and writes back herself. Privacy

For firms in San Francisco and New York, the in-office tasting is usually the simplest choice: nobody travels, the event fits into an afternoon or early evening, and the room is one the firm already controls. The family arrives with the wines and pours in your conference room, a client's office or another space you choose. For clients spread across the country, the virtual format ships a flight to each guest and runs the tasting live on video. A hybrid does both at once.

The estate is in Windsor, about 10 minutes south of Healdsburg and roughly 90 minutes north of San Francisco, on the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley. Seated tastings there run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. by reservation, typically for 2 to 8 guests, with larger groups of up to 50, client dinners and buy-outs by arrangement. Every tasting is shaped around the group. Bookings can also go by email to marla@domaineriviere.com or by phone at 707-888-1598.

What client entertainment events do banks and financial firms host?

Most financial firms rotate through five formats: annual client appreciation events, small advisor-hosted dinners or tastings for top households, deal closings and team celebrations, educational evenings that pair a speaker with food or wine, and year-end staff events. Each has a different guest count and budget, so the format should follow the purpose.

• Client appreciation events. An annual evening for a book of clients, often 20 to 50 guests, held in the fall or before the holidays. The goal is thanks, not a pitch.
• Advisor-hosted small tastings. Four to eight top clients and their spouses at one table, so the advisor can talk with each household. Common in wealth management and private banking.
• In-office tastings. A tasting poured in the firm's own conference room or a client's office, after hours or at the end of a meeting day.
• Virtual client tastings. Wines shipped to each client's home or office, then a live session on screen. Suits an advisor whose clients live in several states.
• Deal closings and team celebrations. An investment banking or lending team marks a closed transaction with the client's deal team, in the office or over dinner.
• Educational evenings. A market-outlook talk followed by a guided tasting; the tasting gives the guests a reason to stay and talk afterward.
• Staff events. Analyst-class welcomes, branch team outings, year-end parties and employee appreciation days.

Client appreciation events and educational evenings reach the widest list; small tastings and deal celebrations are for the relationships that matter most. Many firms hold one of each per year rather than many events of one kind, and reuse the format that worked.

Why does a wine tasting work for client entertainment?

A seated tasting gives guests something to do and talk about for 60 to 90 minutes without a stage, a game or loud music. It is educational, so clients leave knowing something new; it is paced, so conversation happens between pours; and it is hosted, so the advisor can spend the time with clients instead of running the event.

• Seated and conversational. A table of six to eight lets every guest speak with the host, which a cocktail reception rarely does.
• Easy to host. The winery leads the content; the advisor introduces it and then talks with clients.
• Inclusive. Guests who don't drink can take part in the conversation and the food; a tasting pour is small by design.
• Portable. The same tasting works in an office, on screen or at the estate.
• Repeatable. A client who enjoyed one Pinot Noir can be sent the same wine later, which ties the event to a follow-up.

The hosts matter for finance guests in a quieter way. Proprietor Geoff Bedrosian spent more than three decades in investment banking and private equity and today serves as CFO and CIO of a private equity firm; he advised on several vineyard transactions before the family bought Vineyard eleven in 2011, and he hosts private equity groups at the estate. Conversations at the table often move between farming and deals. Winemaker Kale Anderson ferments with native yeast and uses about 35% new French oak, details that give a tasting something specific to discuss.

Which event format fits which occasion?

Match the format to the guest list. In-office tastings suit San Francisco and New York teams and their local clients; virtual tastings suit clients spread across states; hybrid covers both; estate tastings and private events suit top clients and offsites. Allow two to four weeks for an in-office or estate tasting and four to six for anything shipped.

Lead times are planning guidance, not booking rules; fall and December dates fill soonest. In-office tastings outside the Bay Area and New York are arranged case by case, so mention the city when you get in touch.

How does an in-office wine tasting work?

The family arrives with the wines ahead of the guests, sets up, and pours a guided flight for the group in your conference room, a client's office or a private space you choose. A typical tasting runs 60 to 90 minutes. The firm provides the room, a table and, if it likes, food; the family handles the wine.

• Space. A conference room or event room with a long table or high-tops works. Seated suits a client group of 6 to 20; standing stations suit a larger reception.
• What the family brings. The wines, chosen for the group, and the tasting itself: where each wine is grown, how it is made and what to look for.
• Glassware and setup. Confirm when booking whether the family brings glassware or the venue provides it, and plan a side table for water, spit cups and open bottles.
• Timing. Late afternoon into early evening is common: 4:30 or 5 p.m. after the market close or a meeting day, so clients can come straight from work.
• Food. Cheese, charcuterie or light bites from the firm's caterer are enough; ask the family which foods suit the flight.
• Building rules. Check with building management about serving wine on site and about after-hours access for guests.

For firms headquartered in New York, the in-office tasting brings a Russian River Valley estate to Manhattan rather than asking clients to fly to Sonoma. The Bedrosians are a New York family who bought the vineyard in 2011 while living 3,000 miles away, replanted it and released their debut wine in 2017, so the story of the estate travels with them.

How do virtual and hybrid tastings reach clients in other states?

In a virtual tasting, the winery ships a flight to each guest ahead, then the winemaker or the family leads it live on video. In a hybrid, the family pours in your office while remote guests join on screen with kits shipped ahead. Wine ships to most U.S. states, not all, and an adult 21 or older must sign.

Domaine de la Rivière ships through Vinoshipper, which checks each address against the destination state's rules; P.O. boxes are excluded. The order of operations matters more than anything else:

• Ask for RSVPs with the shipping address four to six weeks out, so any address in a state the winery can't ship to is found before kits go out.
• Have a plan for those guests: they can join the call and taste a wine bought locally, or simply listen in.
• Choose a delivery address where an adult 21 or older will be present to sign. An office front desk is often easier than a home on a weekday.
• Schedule delivery several days before the session to leave room for a missed signature.
• For a hybrid, set up a camera and microphone at the head of the table so remote guests can hear the pours and ask questions.
• Keep the session to about an hour, with a few minutes at the end for the advisor.

What wines does a client tasting pour?

A client flight is usually four wines: two Chardonnay and two Pinot Noir, poured white to red. Domaine de la Rivière builds most flights around its 2022 Two Forces Pinot Noir, 98 points from The Tasting Panel, and its 2021 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, one of Robb Report's Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century.

The white with a storyRitchie Vineyard Chardonnay2021: one of Robb Report's Top 50 California Chardonnays of the Century.2021 · $85

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A second white for comparisonFlora Marie Chardonnay2021: 94 points, Wine Enthusiast; 94 points, Cristaldi Report.2021 · $75

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An opening redMiddle Reach Vineyards Pinot Noir2021: 94 points and a Cellar Selection, Wine Enthusiast; Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle.2021 · $75

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The red most guests rememberTwo Forces Pinot Noir2022: 98 points, The Tasting Panel; Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition.2022 · $95

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Pouring two of each lets guests compare: the same grape from different sites tastes different, which is the easiest thing for a newcomer to notice and the most interesting for a collector. The flight changes with the group; a deal team celebrating might finish on the 98-point Two Forces, while an educational evening might focus on how the Middle Reach's fog shapes the wine. A wine a client liked is easy to send later as a thank-you.

How do you plan a client wine tasting step by step?

Start with the guest list, then the format, then logistics. A typical plan runs four to eight weeks: set the purpose, choose in-office, virtual, hybrid or estate, book the date, collect RSVPs and addresses, confirm the room or ship the kits, host, then follow up within a week.

1. 01Set the guest list and purpose. Decide who the event is for (top households, a deal team, a referral network) and the size. The size and where guests live decide the format.
2. 02Choose the format. In-office in San Francisco or New York, virtual for clients in several states, hybrid for both, or the estate in Windsor for a small group or a private event.
3. 03Book with the winery. Send the date, group size, city, occasion and any remote guests. Ask for the wines, timing and setup to be confirmed in writing.
4. 04Collect RSVPs and addresses. For virtual or hybrid events, collect shipping addresses four to six weeks out and confirm each ship-to state. Note dietary needs and non-drinkers.
5. 05Prepare the room or the kits. For an in-office tasting, book the room, arrange food, and confirm building access and glassware. For virtual guests, confirm each delivery.
6. 06Plan transport and pacing. Keep food and water on the table throughout, set an end time, and arrange a car service for guests who need one.
7. 07Host and follow up. Let the family lead the tasting; spend the time with clients. Within a week, send a short personal note referencing the evening.

How should a finance team plan an event for its own staff?

Staff events in banking cluster around three moments: a summer analyst or associate class welcome, branch or team outings, and year-end or employee appreciation events. An in-office tasting works for each because it is short, structured and needs no travel. Plan for non-drinkers, keep food on the table, and arrange transport home.

• Analyst and associate classes. A tasting in the office gives a new class a shared hour away from the desk; for a large class, split into two seatings.
• Branch and team outings. A Saturday tasting at the estate works for Bay Area teams; for distributed teams, the virtual format reaches each office.
• Year-end and appreciation events. Book early; December dates fill soonest.
• Make drinking optional. Offer non-alcoholic drinks and say so in the invitation. No one should be expected to drink to take part.
• Plan transport. Book a car service for an estate visit, and for an in-office event that runs into the evening; Windsor is about 90 minutes from San Francisco.
• Pace the pours. Tasting portions are small; keep water and food out throughout, and set a clear end time.

The Bedrosian family runs these events with backgrounds in finance and hospitality. Marla Bedrosian spent three decades in global hospitality, beginning at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in the early 1990s, and leads guest experience and sales. Zak and Duff Bedrosian, the second generation, both studied at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration and worked in private equity.

Where are the best places for client wine events near San Francisco and New York?

Five options cover most finance firms: your own office, with a winery pouring on site; a family estate in Sonoma County or the Russian River Valley for small seated groups; Napa Valley for larger, better-known venues; a private dining room in the city; and a virtual tasting for national client lists.

Domaine de la Rivière covers four of the five: the family pours in offices in the Bay Area and New York, hosts virtual and hybrid tastings, and seats groups at the estate in Windsor, where everyone in the family has a role and the tastings are poured by the people who grew the wine.