Wine, beer or whisky tasting evening

A ticketed tasting hosted by a producer, with food and a small auction.

Typically raises

$3,000

$1,000–8,000 per eventest.

About $133 per organiser hour

Is it right for us?

Money: $2,000–10,000
Work: Weeks, part-time
Helpers: 3–6 people
Lead time: 1–2 months
Red tape: Some

Uncommon: an adult night out that feels a bit special

People: 4-8
Organiser time: 15-30 (estimate)
Lead time: 6-8 weeks
Up-front cost: $200–$1,500. Food, glass hire; producer often supplies product at cost or free.
Risk: Low to medium.

Can suit, but rarely run by: Primary or intermediate school, High school, Sports club or team, Charity, Community group, marae or service club

When: Autumn (Mar–May), Winter (Jun–Aug), Spring (Sep–Nov), Christmas, Father’s Day

How big a job: Several weeks, part-time, 3–6 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Take about $3,600, pay about $600 of costs, and you keep about $3,000 per event: the typical result.

From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

Estimate. No NZ benchmark found.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Approach a producer to host.
Confirm licensing (venue licence or special licence).
Set ticket price and numbers.
Sell tickets.
Arrange food and safe transport.
Run the tasting with a short pitch.
Report results.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
Ask people to buy: People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
Facebook events and what’s-on listingsMake a Facebook event people can say they’re going to, and list it on your council’s or town’s what’s-on page.
Community newsletters and magazinesResidents’ newsletters, village magazines and other churches’ bulletins often run community notices free. Small ones close early.
Other groups sharing itAsk the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: NeededA hired venue
Landowner’s permission: Not needed
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: CheckNo registration if you sell food to fundraise for a good cause up to 20 times a calendar year. It must still be safe and suitable, and your council may need a stall permit
Alcohol: NeededA special licence, applied for through your council at least 20 working days ahead (20 Dec–15 Jan doesn’t count). Alcohol in the ticket price counts as selling it
Gambling rules: Not neededNot gambling
Health and safety: CheckA simple risk check and briefing
Insurance: CheckCheck your cover

Selling tickets that include wine or beer at an unlicensed venue needs a special licence (apply 20 working days ahead). Alcohol can't be a raffle prize; ask the licensing inspector before auctioning it.

Make more from it

Silent auction of donated items
often $1,000-5,000 at a 100-person event (estimate)
guests browse between courses or acts
Take orders for the producer on a commission
often 10-20% of orders (estimate)
guests buy what they just tasted
Short appeal for one costed need
often $500-2,000 (estimate)
a relaxed, generous room

Stack it: on its own, about $3,000. With the 2 priced add-ons above, roughly

$7,300est.

What you can get donated

Product and host from a winery or brewery; venue.

Tips

Producers often welcome the customer contact.

Watch out for

Forgetting the special licence.

Also pairs with: Food matching, Online wine sales with a commission

Free tools for this

Event budget and break-evenCompare pay-per-head with a guaranteed minimum before you sign with the venue.
Event run sheetPlan the night to the minute so the auction and draw don’t run late.
Silent auction kitAdd a silent auction on the night: bid sheets, terms and a winners register.
Checklist for any ideaBefore, on the day and after, built from this idea’s own steps and rules.

Typical rules

Alcohol: selling or supplying alcohol (including alcohol included in the ticket price) at a venue without its own licence needs a special licence from the District Licensing Committee, applied for at least 20 working days ahead; late applications cost more and may not be considered. Fees scale with event size (Wellington: $103.50 / $341 / $948.50; Auckland treats 400+ attendees as a large event).
Alcohol cannot be a raffle prize. Auctioning alcohol may itself be a sale of alcohol; ask the council licensing inspector.
Host responsibility: food, water, transport options.

Check the details

Sources

Researched October 2026. All fundraising ideas

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide