Like scarecrows that vaguely resemble romantically uninvolved cast members of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, wine tastings let us test potential partners before making a commitment. Banish culinary cold feet and make a palatable wine and cuisine match with today's Groupon: for $35, you get a group wine tasting and food pairing for two at Etude Wines in the Carneros region of Napa (a $70 value). Tastings are available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.

Helmed by founder Tony Soter and current vintaging viceroy Jon Priest, Etude practices sustainable growing, yielding carefully crafted wines from a grape harvest that includes 10 rare heirloom varieties. During the tasting, you'll get to sample three different courses of two wines each, and each drink duo is paired with a succulent small plate hand-selected by Chef Rodger Babel. Get to know a local grilled eggplant and his lemon cured goat cheese and Marcona almond friends before devouring them with a Carneros chardonnay and rose pinot noir. Feast fiendishly on the adoring eyes of your tasting partner as you feed each other from plates of smoked Sonoma rabbit and braised short rib terrine, while sipping Deer Camp pinot noir and a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon from each other’s hats.

As the day ferments, Etude will finish off the tasting with complementary Rasa El Hanout chocolate truffles. Tastings last 75–90 minutes depending on the size of the group and the position of the sun, and they can accommodate up to eight guests at a time.

Reviews

Wine Country This Week and DrinkOfTheWeek featured Etude Wines. Yelpers give the winery an average of four stars.

• To try these wines visit their exceptional new tasting room. Designed by acclaimed and very talented San Francisco architect Matt Hollis and opened in October of last year, it is a delight on so many levels. – Charles Neave, Wine Country This Week
• Definitely low key and welcoming with a great selection of pinot noirs. Highly recommended! – Angie K., Yelp