Some more things to consider while at a large tasting...
Another thing I would recommend is to take notes. This slows down your consumption somewhat, and the vendors pouring will take more time telling you about their wines. Another reason to take notes is that the end of a two or three hour tasting your memory is not going to be too sharp. It's far better to refer back to your notes, particularly if you want to remember your favorite wines at the end of the evening.
The third recommendation would be to eat some of the food that will be available. Flavors of wines change when you are eating food and wines that you might not particularly like alone often taste great with the right food match. Also, putting food on your stomach will reduce the effect of the alcohol.
Finally, there is almost always water available. I advise you to drink a lot of it. It will help clear your pallet, dilute the wine volume, and keep you hydrated.
Big wine tastings can be big fun. They offer excellent opportunities to learn more about which wines you really like, learn more about wines and wineries and often, meet very interesting people.
Cheers,
Michael
