Or people could just share from their cellars from previous years. In my mind this would be more about the spirit of BD rather than sampling the wines on offer on that specific BD. I know for myself I would be happy to bring a bunch of bottles, it’s not like I have a shortage of BD wines 
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I think the key would be to perhaps focus on BD producers, right? And that could also include steaks and chips 
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As expected, the OP put a lot of detail in his poll…then even more complexity arose immediately thereafter when discussion commenced!!
There are a lot of options on the table now, with a lot of varying interest. As for the wines, if the event(s) is/are done just before BD16 the most likely scenario for wines being submitted would be Newbies - that would change the landscape of the system a bit, having live tastings of a decent sized group who is ready to participate in BD16 as buyers if they like what they taste - however, would still have to do tasters well before that time, as there won’t be enough time to amp up everyone who is participating as sellers, only to quash them the day before, or keep all the Newbies waiting to see if they do get picked then race to put something together.
All depends on what is ‘decided’, if that’s even possible, then we fill in the blanks
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I like the idea of a “road show” leading up to BD, pick 3-5 cities…yes its hard to ship wine during that timeframe but I assume this should/would need to be organized in advance so the wineries can ship in oct/nov and some local organizer can hold the wine until the event. I know some % of wine sold on BD is “not yet bottled” like Marcus did with his Bubbles this year, but I think for the most part, most producers participating on BD have those wines already bottled or at least something equivalent they could sell to the dinners/organizers.
To me it would be great to be able to taste wines from several BD producers/upcoming offers - may have me buy more on BD.
And no need to “donate” - these will be ticketed events, so the wineries can sell the wine to the “BD Council” and tickets are charged to cover the wine, food, etc. I’d prefer more informal like a wine tasting event/cocktail hour thing vs a sit down, 4 course/paired menu with wine.
To me the drawback is that BD is in January and some people do Dry-January, other people just spent a lot on the holidays, so dropping $200 on a BD dinner may be tough, weather becomes a wild card in certain markets, etc. But not doing it over BD allows for wine makers to come out if they want schedule/cost permitting.
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Near BD week sounds like a logistical nightmare/disaster (get off of my lawn) in the making. Depending on where the dinners take place, you’d be bringing winter travel into the mix as well.
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Second this. Maybe organize the food and make it BYOB. I think people would be pretty generous which would give Bersekers opportunities to make friends and try some crazy juice.
This way you could charge a fee that everyone is comfortable with, make the dinner large enough to accommodate everyone, and donate a significant amount of the proceeds to charity.
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I don’t want to be team captain (I already deal with a big offline), but would be willing to help someone in south Florida.
Wine Watch Wine Cave?
I’d be happy to host a B-Day wine dinner in Seattle, limited to 12-15 participants. Having it on B-Day would work.
The excitement is going to be greatest near to the actual BerserkerDay.
I’m assuming a local co-op effort, negating any travel and logistic problems. A huge Berserkerfest is something else entirely.
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I think based on what others are saying, having it on BD would be too difficult. The vendors participating in BD are usually slammed, and I assume Todd is as well managing the site.
A bunch of pop-up dinners that happen the same week seems like a good idea. Either we can try and see if the wineries are willing to donate wines for these dinners, or everyone can also BYO. Then we could have 1 giant tasting notes thread that everyone can post in.
When I read the tread title I was thinking “BD Wine Themed Offlines” which I would be interested in rather than trying to organize events at a time where we should be participating in the offers rather than partying. (While typing runon sentences)
Why does a BD Dinner have to be wines being offered that BD? Why not wines made by the participating wineries that we already have in our cellars? That way we are not asking winemakers to donate x amount of bottles when they are already discounting while trying to sell them. We could pour a number of wines from across BD years which helps show how the wines develop over time.
These events could be held during the Summer when the weather is nicer and people are more likely to travel. I’d host one in Sonoma County if that were the case.
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And donating a bunch of wine would be a great excuse to restock!
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You know what they say about great minds….
@Brian_Tuite I like your suggestion regarding previous year BD wines. The goal of this thread is to figure out the best way to approach a potential BD dinner. So the more ideas we have the better. Eventually, Todd will decide and let us all know what the plan is based on feedback in this thread.
Sort of…might be y’all’s decision, however, as I can’t attend any event anywhere near or on BD
Reading through this, I’m almost more confused than when it started!
I think a common theme in this is “yes” people want a BD dinner. Looking at the polls and some of the popular suggestions in the comments, there generally appears to be some consensus, but it doesn’t mean everyone will be happy.
Eventually, an executive decision will need to be made based on all feedback.
I like this set of ideas a lot, thanks for starting this thread! Seems like most people are assuming that these dinners would be highly top-down, heavily organized by Todd and/or his delegates, with a bunch of structure.
That’s fine, but I would propose an alternative: a total bottoms up approach. All we need are volunteers to organize BD-oriented events. These can be in any city, at any time. Volunteers hold up their hands, pick a date and location, and start organizing. Stay on theme (lots of wine from BD past or future) participants, with perhaps a unique badge from Todd as a reward for the organizer. Perhaps there could be other rewards, or donations from BD participants used as incentives to drive events.
This way there could be dinners in the summer when travel is easier, or in January to align timing with BD. Or whenever makes sense for folks in Denver, Minneapolis, Miami, or wherever Berserkers are hiding.
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Agree that having it in the weeks on either side of BD makes little sense. BD winery folks wouldn’t be able to participate as fellow wine geeks, let alone a larger role. Having it on BD itself is just…no.
I also like the idea of less top down organizing, without preordained lineups. I love the idea of local scenes getting together what works for them, and the uniting theme is we drink BD wines from prior years that we all bring.
Late spring or early fall seems optimal timing, though fall harvest may again exclude folks from wineries. I would prioritize finding dates that allow ITB folks to attend as fellow wine enthusiasts rather than asking them to be there in a professional capacity.
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That’s the rub, though…I’m not participating in these, but obviously there is demand, so the executive decision really relies on those organizing and/or participating in any of the dinners - they can be fully independent monsters of their own design!!
If there is need/desire for BD16 wines and/or winemakers, I can arrange to figure out potential options for that as they come up.
Essentially the ‘executive decision’ is go for it! Plan these events as they best fit, I think it would be fun! At least one would be fun to have during the auctions - maybe get some live action, group bidding, stuff like that! But regardless, I see plenty of options above in terms of location, theme, etc - do em all!!!
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