Winery, brewery or distillery website: what fills the tasting room

Guests on a phone want to know quickly whether you're open, what's pouring, what a tasting costs, whether the kids and the dog can come, and whether there's food. People planning a wedding, a party or a club membership want terms. And because you sell alcohol, your site is also advertising under federal and state rules.

In October 2026 we opened 24 independent winery, brewery and distillery sites in 13 states, on a phone. None had a tappable phone number on the first screen. Eight put a "Are you over 21?" click in front of the page, and none had a "drink responsibly" line. This guide goes through what matters, with the steps in your editor.

This isn't legal advice. Alcohol law is set mostly by your state, and often by your town. Check with your state's alcohol board and a lawyer if you're unsure.

Show you're open, and make calling one tap

Nineteen of the 24 showed hours somewhere, but only 2 of 22 on the first screen, and one still said "Starting June 1st" in October.

1. Click Business info in the left menu and set your Regular hours, and use Note under hours for things like "Kitchen closes at 8" or "Tastings by appointment on Mondays".
2. Add Seasonal hours once, so they switch over by themselves. Add Holidays and special hours ahead of time.
3. Add an Open today section near the top of your home page.
4. Click Menu, and under Header button turn on Call bar on phones.

For a rainy-day closure or a sold-out release, use We’re closed today or the Announcement bar. See Business info and hours and Add a call bar on phones.

Say who may come in, in plain words

Families and dog owners search for "kid friendly" and "dog friendly" before they search for anything else. Say it once, clearly:

• "21 and over to drink, ID checked. Children are welcome until 8 pm with an adult. Leashed dogs on the patio."
• Put it in your Tagline in Business info, so it shows in the footer of every page, and answer it again in your FAQ.

Some places show a "Yes, I'm 21" pop-up. A click isn't age verification, and no rule we found requires one on a site that sells nothing. It also hides your hours and phone from guests in a hurry. A plain line does the job better. If your state limits children, dogs or outside food in tasting rooms, say what applies to you.

Put what's pouring on the site as text

The tap list is what makes people come that day, and it changes weekly, so a PDF or a picture goes stale and Google can't read it. Only 5 of the 12 breweries showed a current list as text with strength and price. At others the beer page had an embedded widget or a picture.

1. Open your menu page, or add a Price list / menu section.
2. Make a group for On tap, Cans and bottles to go, Wine by the glass or Flights. Use Group note for "Updated Friday".
3. For each item, type the name and the style or grape, and the strength and price in the details, like "Hazy IPA, 6.5% ABV".
4. Fill in Prices last updated, and use Fine print for a deposit ("includes a returnable $3 growler deposit").

To start from a photo of your board, use Fill in from a photo or PDF. See Fill in a menu from a photo or PDF. Update the list the day it changes: edit, then Publish. If you use Untappd, Craftpeak or another tap-list tool, you can link to it from a button too.

Tell people how tastings work

Only 2 of 8 wineries showed a tasting fee on their pages. Guests who see "$65 per person, waived with three bottles" can decide.

1. Add a page (Pages, then New page, the Basic page template) called "Tastings".
2. Say what a tasting includes, what it costs, the group size, how long it takes, and whether walk-ins are welcome or reservations are needed.
3. If you take reservations through Tock, Resy, OpenTable or another tool, keep it: click Menu, and under Header button type "Reserve a tasting" in Button text and point Goes to at it under Another website….
4. To take simple bookings on your own site, turn on the Bookings & RSVPs add-on ($5 a month) and add a tasting or tour. See Bookings.

Don't take a payment through the site for a tasting that includes pours unless you've checked with your payment company (see below). Many places use Tock or their point-of-sale for paid tastings.

Say what there is to eat

Many places have no kitchen, and the food policy is one of the most searched questions. Say which it is:

• A kitchen: put the menu on a page as text.
• Food trucks: list who comes and when. Put each visit in Lists, then Edit events, so past dates drop off by themselves.
• Bring your own: say whether outside food is allowed. One taproom we read says no outside food while a truck is on site.

If your state asks you to offer food with tastings, mention what you offer ("pretzels and chips, free"). See Events.

Post your events

Trivia, live music, releases, harvest dinners: about 20 of the 24 had events. Add each one so it's dated and goes away by itself.

1. Click Lists in the left menu, then Edit events, then Add event.
2. Fill in the Event name, Date, Starts at, Price and a Short description. Mention "21+" or "All ages" in the description.
3. For a weekly night, set Repeats. For a ticketed dinner, fill in Tickets or RSVP button with your ticket link (Eventbrite, TicketLeap or Tock).
4. Add an Events section to your home page. Click Publish.

Give private events and weddings a page

Weddings and company parties are real income for a tasting room, and most pages left out the room size and the food rules.

1. Click Pages, then New page, and call it "Private events and weddings".
2. Describe each space in a Photo + text section: how many it holds, indoors or out, and whether there's a bar.
3. Use a Packages section for your options. Use Price note for "per person" and Fine print for the deposit, the minimum and the food rules ("bring your own food or hire a caterer; all drinks must be bought from us").
4. Add a Form section, and under Start from pick Catering or event inquiry. See Forms and your inbox.

Set up a club, and make leaving it easy

All 8 wineries had a club. Five said how it ends or what it commits you to, and one continued until the member emailed or phoned. A club is a recurring charge, which falls under automatic-renewal laws. California's requires an online cancel for an online sign-up, and other states have rules too.

1. Make a "Wine club" or "Beer club" page with a Packages section: each level's Name, Price, how often and how many bottles.
2. In Fine print, say when the card is charged, whether there's a minimum, and how to skip or cancel.
3. Set each plan's Button to your club system's sign-up under Another website…. Your club software (Commerce7, WineDirect and others) runs the billing, not your site.
4. Under Menu › Footer links, add "Manage your club" pointing at the member sign-in or cancel page.

What your site can't do: sell and ship alcohol

The Online store can't sell alcohol. Our payment company restricts it, and shipping is state law: wine travels to many states, spirits to few, and beer mostly stays between licensed businesses. Use a seller built for it, such as Commerce7, WineDirect, Vinoshipper, Toast or Square, and link to it with a button or an Order online section.

If you ship, list the states, say an adult 21 or older must sign, and give times and cost. One winery we read lists its 25 states. For pickup orders, say that ID is checked at the door.

Gift cards and merch

Gift cards are a good fit. With the Gift cards and coupons add-on ($2 a month), click Gift cards in the left menu and Issue one when you take payment at the till. They can't expire sooner than five years after they're sold, and some states ban expiry dates, so "No end" is the safe choice. Online gift sales and any store sales run through your own Stripe account, so ask Stripe whether your account is approved first. See Gift cards and coupons.

Rules for what you write

Federal rules (the TTB) cover alcohol advertising, and they cover your website and posts.

• Your brand's name, with the city and state or other contact, should appear on the site. Put it in the footer through Business info.
• No health claims. Don't say "healthy", "antioxidant", "detox", "hangover-free" or anything that treats a condition. The TTB treats those as misleading.
• Don't aim at kids: no cartoon characters or candy look-alikes. The beer and spirits industry codes ask that ads reach audiences that are mostly adults, and many states add rules.
• Pictured labels must be approved labels. If you show a bottle or can, it should be the one the TTB approved (a COLA) where one is needed. Keep ad words in step with the label.
• A "responsible drinking" line isn't required, but none of the 24 sites had one. "Please enjoy responsibly" at the bottom of a page costs nothing.
• Don't offer a free tasting only for good reviews.

Show your reviews

Click Lists in the left menu, then Edit reviews, and add three or more, then show them in a Reviews section. Paste your Google Leave-a-review link in Business info, and the Review requests add-on ($3 a month) can email guests who book. See Reviews and Ask customers for reviews.

Answer the questions guests ask

Open Lists, then FAQs, and click Suggest questions under Suggested questions. Answer the ones you hear: reservations, tasting fees, kids, dogs, outside food, ID, tours, shipping, the club. See FAQ list.

Photos that fill the room

Show your own place: the bar with the taps lit, a flight in good light, the people pouring, the vineyard in season, the patio on a busy day, and your cans and bottles. Use free photos for the opening banner. See Free photos.