Top Tips For Making The Most Of The Wine Festival

The big O’Briens Wine Festival is back at Dublin's RDS on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th October and this year’s festival is set to be the biggest and best yet! There are over 70 of our talented winemakers and producers in attendance and an incredible 290 wines available for tasting.

We want you to enjoy your O'Briens Wine Festival experience, as you meet fellow wine lovers, discover new wines and revisit some old favourites. Here’s our quick guide to making the most out of the best wine event of the year! (Don't have a ticket yet? Friday and the early slot on Saturday are now sold out but there are some remaining tickets for the 6pm - 9pm slot on Saturday. You can get them here.)

Make a plan

There are almost 300 wines at the festival so take a moment to browse your brochure and plan your route around the room. Our top tip is to pick out a wine style you’re interested in - that way, you can explore lots of wines of that type.

Use your O'Briens Club wine app

For the best experience, download the O’Briens Club wine app. You’ll be able to learn more about the wines and the winemakers behind them and can shop via the app for home delivery too.

Keep your glass with you

Your complimentary Tipperary Crystal glass is yours to use throughout the day and to take home afterwards. Use the rinsing station and water jugs to rinse your glass in between wines and to stay hydrated. We’ll provide a bag at the end for you to bring it home safely.

Don't miss our wine talks

Learn more about your favourite wines at our FREE 20-minute wine talks (no booking required). Our wine experts will be chatting to some of our wonderful producers about everything that goes into winemaking, and you’ll get to sample one of their fantastic wines too.

New this year: wine mini masterclass

This year, we also have a fabulous series of mini masterclasses which offer the unique opportunity to get an insider’s insight into the world of wine and taste two premium wines. Tickets can be booked at the Masterclass area, which you'll find at the back of our event space in the RDS on the right hand side. (Please note you must also have a ticket to the wine festival in order to access this event.)

It's better to spit

The goal is to taste, not to drink, and our wineries will only pour tasting measures. We have spittoons at every table so please don’t forget to use them – or feel awkward about doing so! Spitting will help you better enjoy the wine tasting and to taste more wines.

Don't forget to eat!

There will be cheese plates available to purchase from the RDS catering team at the venue and there are a number of eateries nearby. If you need to slip out for food, we can provide a pass for you to re-enter the festival. Please note, other food and snacks are not permitted inside the venue.