Who can book the Tasting Room?
What is the difference between Private Use and Shared Use?
Why can I only book a Shared Use event when my party size is 6 persons or less?
What is a Tasting Room Credit (TRC)?
How much does a TRC cost?
What if I need more TRCs?
What if I have insufficient TRCs in my account when I book?
How do I know how many TRCs I have left in my account?
How do I book the Tasting Room?
What if someone overlapped my booking?
Is there a deadline for making a booking?
Is there a minimum time length for a booking?
Can I make a booking which combines both private and shared use?
What if I make a mistake in my booking, or I have to cancel or change it later?
What is the cancellation or change fee?
I am organizing an event and polling guests for their availability, can I put multiple date/times on hold?
What is the Member ID?
What is the Security Code?
What about setting a “start” and “end” time for my booking?
What is the Behind the Scenes Cellar Tour?
Who cleans up the room and what is the clean-up service?
I have booked the room “Private”, how do I ensure privacy at my event?
What if I don't leave the room clean, leave lights on, or forget to take down the Private Event sign?
Who can book the Tasting Room?
Fine Wine Reserve clients with a Private Cellaring account, a Tasting Room Membership, and sufficient TRCs in their account can book the Tasting Room - for their own private use and/or to guarantee availability by reserving the room for shared use. Under certain circumstances, the Fine Wine Reserve may permit others to hold an event in the Tasting Room - as our guest. Case Storage clients, corporations, and wine industry participants with an interest should call us to inquire about holding an event in the tasting room.
What is the difference between Private Use and Shared Use?
Private Use is when you want exclusive use of the Tasting Room for you and your guests. Other members are not allowed to drop in or use the room at that time. Shared Use is if you only want to guarantee room availability at some point in the future. Your booking prevents anyone else from booking the room for private use, but the room remains open to other members who may drop in during your booking. Please note: you may only make a Shared Use booking if the total number of people in your party will be 6 persons or less.
Why can I only book a Shared Use event when my party size is 6 persons or less?
You may only make a Shared Use booking if the total number of people in your party will be 6 persons or less. Larger numbers make it such that other members who drop in may be unable or uncomfortable sharing the room - which in effect limits the room to other members. Please note party sizes are audited. If the limit is exceeded, your “Shared Use” booking is upgraded to “Private Use” and you are automatically billed accordingly (additional TRCs are deducted from your account and/or you are invoiced at the standard, undiscounted TRC rate).
What is a Tasting Room Credit (TRC)?
Tasting Room Credits (TRCs) are required to book the Tasting Room. One TRC equals one hour of “Private Use” time or 2 hours of “Shared Use” time. TRCs must be purchased in advance of your booking, so please ensure you have enough TRCs left in your account before you book. Unused TRCs are non-refundable, but never expire. They can be accumulated and carried forward indefinitely as long as you are a client of the Fine Wine Reserve with an active Private Cellaring account. TRCs more than three (3) years old may be subject to an adjustment and re-valued to reflect the TRC pricing at that time.
How much does a TRC cost?
TRCs are $30 each (+HST). One TRC can be redeemed for 1 hour of “Private Use” or 2 hours of “Shared Use”. TRCs may be available at a special price if purchased in bulk. Current special: 30 TRCs at $10 each = $300.
What if I need more TRCs?
TRCs may be ordered by going to the PURCHASE TRCs section of this website. You will then be invoiced for your order. Please ensure you have sufficient TRCs in your account (or on order) before you book your private event.
What if I have insufficient TRCs in my account when I book?
If you have insufficient TRCs when you book, your booking request will be accepted but you will automatically be billed for the shortage at the standard undiscounted rate. Please note: there are no exceptions to this rule. Even if you had wanted to purchase TRCs in bulk (at a lower rate), you will be required to pay for these TRCs first, and then make a separate request for TRCs at the bulk rate.
How do I know how many TRCs I have left in my account?
You are responsible for keeping track of the number of TRCs you have left in your account. If you lose track, we can send you a statement of your TRC balance for $25+HST. Alternatively, you can look on our website for an estimate of your TRC balance. Go to the PURCHASE TRCs page of this website. Please be aware, the on-line statement may not be completely up-to-date. Always note the date at the top of the form and adjust your balance for any bookings you may have made since the statement was last updated.
How do I book the Tasting Room?
1) Book with at least 36 hours advanced notice or your request will be rejected.
2) Ensure you have your Member ID and Security Code on hand (if you don't have one, contact us).
3) Ensure you have sufficient TRCs in your account. If short, please purchase more BEFORE you book.
4) Go to the EVENT SCHEDULE page of this website and review it for available dates and times.
5) Go to the BOOK TASTING ROOM page of this website and book your event on-line.
6) Check booking on EVENT SCHEDULE, make sure it is posted correctly and you did not overlap another booking.
7) Confirm booking the day before your event (or anytime after the 36 hour booking deadline). Make sure that another member hasn't since overlapped your event with their booking. If they did, contact us immediately.
We can't stress enough that you check your booking after submitting it and again on the day before your event. The booking form will accept overlapping bookings. It will not advise you of your error, nor will the Fine Wine Reserve or the other party necessarily notice the mistake. Overlapping bookings could be a disaster for you and your party (and the other party) if you only discover this problem last minute. Please be careful when using the booking form, and double-check for overlaps!
What if someone overlapped my booking?
Contact us right away. We will try to resolve the issue for you. If we cannot be reached and/or you only discover it at the event, whoever made the booking first gets priority. You may want to bring your time stamped booking request as confirmation.
Is there a deadline for making a booking?
Yes. You must make your booking at least 36 hours in advance or your booking request will be rejected.
Is there a minimum time length for a booking?
Yes. Your event must be at least 1.5 hours in length or your booking request will be rejected.
Can I make a booking which combines both private and shared use? Yes, provided you meet two requirements: 1) Your party size must meet the requirement for a shared use booking - that being a party size of NOT more than 6 persons, and 2) there is no more than two parts to your booking. As an example, make the first two hours of your event private, and then if you don't mind opening up the room to possible “drop in” members, make the second two hours of your booking a shared use booking. In this case, you would make two separate bookings and you save one TRC.
What if I make a mistake in my booking, or I have to cancel or change it later?
Contact us by e-mail and we will correct it for you. State your Member ID, the day and time of your event, and specify the details of the change. All cancellations, mistakes or changes (no matter how minor) are subject to a change fee – the amount charged depends on how much notice you provide as discussed under “cancellation / change fees” later in this document. All bookings are final once posted onto the website, so please check your information BEFORE you click on “submit”.
What is the cancellation or change fee?
All bookings are final once submitted and some or all of your TRCs non-refundable. If you must cancel or change your booking, you may be eligible for a partial refund of your TRCs as follows:
7 days notice – 100% refunded LESS one TRC
36 hours notice – 75% refunded
12 hours notice – 50% refunded
Less than 12 hours notice – no refund
I am organizing an event and polling guests for their availability, can I put multiple date/times on hold?
No, but if you are planning a few months in advance then likely your possible dates will stay available. Alternatively, you are free to make multiple bookings and then cancel the ones you don't use. If you cancel with more than 7 days notice it will only cost 1 TRC per canceled event. If you are planning for a private use event, be sure to actually book your possible dates as private events (versus a shared use event). A shared use event cannot be upgraded to a private one. You will have to cancel it and make a new booking.
What is the Member ID?
All Tasting Room Members must provide us with a Member ID before making a booking or using any of the data entry panels on our website. Your Member ID will remain with you and it will not change unless you request a change. The Member ID shows up on the Event Schedule and it is used to uniquely but anonymously identify your booking. You may select your own Member ID. It must be a single word, letters only and not more than 12 characters in length - no spaces, special characters or numbers.
What is the Security Code?
All Tasting Room Members must get their Security Code before making a booking or using any of the data entry panels on our website. The Security Code reduces the amount of spurious use of our data entry panels by those who should not be using them. We will provide you with your Security Code. It may change from time to time, but if it does you will be advised. You must enter the code exactly as provided or your booking request will be rejected.
What about setting a “start” and “end” time for my booking?
Always include time to “set-up” and “clean up” when you book a private event. Realize that another member and their guests may have made a private booking (or plan to drop in) at exactly the time you said your event would end. Although you may continue using the room after your event officially ends (provided the new arrivals haven't booked it “private”), the Private Event sign must come down, and there is an expectation that the room is presentable at that time. It can be a little uncomfortable for all concerned if your event is still in full swing and/or you are only starting to clean up the mess when other members arrive.
What is the Behind the Scenes Cellar Tour?
With advanced notice, and subject to availability, the CellarMaster will give your guests a full guided tour. Although members often take their guests on their own cellar tours, only the CellarMaster can take your guests “behind the scenes”. We can show your guests the restricted areas such as the climate control room; the security room vault; and inside some of our stunning case storage areas. We can also demonstrate our high tech systems such as the ultrasonic fogger system for humidity control which may or may not be running at the time. Finally, we can answer any questions your guests might have about storing/caring for wines in general, and/or our services. The full guided tour takes about 15 minutes, but it can be adjusted (shorter or longer) to fit your needs. If you are interested in the CellarMaster tour, please select “yes” when you make the booking. Include desired tour length and at what time you would like it to start in the “Notes” field. There is no charge for the CellarMaster tour.
Who cleans up the room and what is the clean-up service?
Members are required to clean up after themselves and are generally happy to do so. However, if you prefer to just “get up and go” and not clean up after yourself, you may request our cleaning service. Advanced notice (5 days) is required, and your request is subject to availability. The service costs $25 plus $25 per hour (with a $50 minimum). It is unlikely that it will go above the minimum unless more than one dishwasher load is required. Staff may arrive at the time you said your event would end. If asked to wait, the hourly charge applies from the time they arrive.
I have booked the room “Private”, how do I ensure privacy at my event?
The EVENT SCHEDULE on our website shows all the times when the Tasting Room is NOT available. But keep in mind that members may drop by the cellar without having consulted the website. You can ensure privacy for your “Private Use” booking by posting the “Private Event – Please Do Not Disturb” sign on the Tasting Room door. Please remember to take down this sign at the time you said your event would end, or extra charges will apply. Members are instructed not to enter the room if they see this sign. For members requiring extreme privacy, FWR can lock the Tasting Room door and set it up so only your pass card (and guest card) will unlock the space during your event. These requests require advanced notice (5 days), and are subject to a set-up charge that varies according to the particulars of your event.
What if I don't leave the room clean, leave lights on, or forget to take down the Private Event sign?
We think a $10/month Tasting Room Membership is very fair for the services we provide in the Tasting Room. Unless you are booking it for private use, there should be no other costs to use the room provided you follow a few simple rules: 1) clean up after yourself, 2) turn off all lights and the A/C and, 3) use the “Private Event” sign properly. Clients who do not make an advanced request for the cleaning service and then leave the room untidy or the stemware “unprocessed” will be billed for the clean-up at double the normal rate ($50+$50/hr with a $100 minimum). If any lights or A/C are left on, there is a $35 charge. If you booked a private event and leave up the “Private Event” sign beyond the time you said your event would end (or forget it altogether), there is $35 charge.
