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Dating, for those of us who are tired of being single, can be a royal pain. From speed dating to online dating, from the taverns to the grocery stores, we have several outlets where we can meet potential matches. But, unfortunately, these matches often extinguish before they can light even the slightest spark, leaving those of us frustrated to long for the days of arranged marriages: someone just marry me and give my parents a llama.

My own personal experiences have led me to meet dates a variety of ways. I've been set up by friends, I've been set up by computers, I've gone to functions for singles, and, of course, I've met many a'people at the bars. But, it wasn't until recently that I found a dating medium I truly enjoyed: wine tasting for singles.

Wine tasting for singles had a lot of similarities to a regular wine tasting event. A sommelier presented three red wines and three white wines, conveying the regions where the wines were from and their general flavors. Each wine was tasted one at a time, appetizers were served, and people dared each other to take a sip out of the spit bucket. The main difference between a wine tasting for singles and a regular wine tasting is simple: no wedding rings allowed.

Why a Wine Tasting?

Now, for those of you who are in the dating scene, the lack of wedding rings at wine tastings for singles might not be enough persuasion: you may be posing the question of what makes a wine tasting superior to meeting people through other means. Well, I'm glad you asked. To begin, at a wine tasting for singles, as opposed to going to the bars or hoping to meet someone in the Laundromat, you automatically have the advantage of knowing three things: everyone there is single, everyone there is looking, and, most importantly, everyone there enjoys wine. Having these three things in common arms you with the ability to approach that cute stranger, bat your eyes, point to his Pinot Noir and ask, 'Are you going to finish that?'

Is it Better than Online Dating?

A wine tasting for singles is much more realistic than meeting people online, otherwise known as spouse shopping. This is because online people can easily pretend to be anyone: the old can pretend to be young, the short can pretend to be tall, the men can pretend to be women and vice versa. Along these lines, because the majority of communication is nonverbal, meeting someone in person at a wine tasting allows you to gauge certain things that you wouldn't be able to see over email. From the tone of a person's voice, to the way they carry themselves, to the way they sip their wine, body language is a major element in discovering what a person is truly like.

Is it Better than Blind Dating?

Mingling at a wine tasting for singles, where the room is filled with a variety of women and a variety of men, allows for less pressure than the one on one situation of blind dating. In one on one situations, people often get nervous, sweating, stuttering, accidentally revealing that they live in their mom's basement with six cats. In a wine tasting, however, people are free to mingle in groups, removing the one on one pressure and allowing a wingman or wingwoman to be standing by, ready to swoop in at the first mention of something like the latest Star Trek convention.

Is it Better than Speed Dating?

Many people in the dating scene have probably been on several dates that they wished were speed dates, having had their fill within the first five minutes. However, this isn't always the best concept: people aren't always themselves in the first five minutes, some people need a second chance to make a first impression. In speed dating, people are only allowed to talk to each other for a set amount of time, usually only a few minutes. It's hard to tell anything important about someone in a few minutes, it takes at least twenty minutes before you can feel secure inquiring about your date's annual salary. At a wine tasting event, conversely, you are free to talk with someone for as long as you choose, whether it's three hours or just a few minutes that felt like three hours.

Will you Meet your True Love?

Like all avenues of dating, a wine tasting for singles can not guarantee success: you may meet someone you really like or you may find no commonalities with anyone in attendance. But, because wine tastings allow for lengthy, in-person interaction, they automatically give you better dating opportunities than other avenues of dating. And, even if you don't meet the love of your life, a wine tasting can almost assure that you will find a bottle of Merlot with which you can live happily ever after.