Most Popular Wine Tasting Events & Topics
- Sibling Rivalry: California vs. French Wines Made From the Same Grape
- Twelve Tips for Business Entertaining
- Chardonnay World Tour
- Food and Wine Pairing: Three Tips to Help You Pair with Flair
- Hedonistic Red Wines to Help You Close/Celebrate a Deal
- TEAM BUILDING: You’ve Just Bought a Winery….Now What?
1. Sibling Rivalry: California vs. French Wines Made From the Same Grape
You'll sample wines made from the grapes you know and love: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. But in this novel side-by-side comparison you’ll discover for yourself how different the same grape can taste when the wine is from California (the "New World") versus France (the "Old World"). While each wine pairing is tasted on a blind basis, most guests will be amazed to discover that they CAN identify which wine is which just by SNIFFING the wines. Tasting the wines is just a confirmation.
If you happen to be partial to the "Old World" (French) style, then ordering in restaurants or asking for suggestions at the wine store just became a breeze. Instead of having to learn the names of French wine regions, or wine villages, you just ask for an "Old World Chardonnay" or "Old World Sauvignon Blanc"….and the sommelier or wine store sales person will know exactly the type of wine you like.
2. Twelve Tips for Business Entertaining
Today, knowing something about wine is a social skill making you appear more sophisticated to business colleagues and friends. It is also a powerful tool for today's executives providing leverage in business entertaining. So plug up any gaps in your wine knowledge with The Wine Diva's 12 tips that will make you feel more confident, authoritative and adventurous whether you are the host at a dinner, a guest dining out with food and wine lovers, or an attendee at social wine tasting events.
At this tasting you will try wines from around the world that reflect how to get more for your money. When enjoying Italian, French or Asian cuisine, these wines will also be distinctive alternatives to the "usual suspects," California Cabernet and Chardonnay, making you appear more wine savvy. You'll also find out how to get more pleasure from your glass via proper serving temperature, aeration and glassware—key aspects of any social and corporate wine tasting event. Then learn about problems that should make you say, "Take back this wine and bring me another bottle." Discover how to impress clients with "tasting flights" and large format bottles. Along the way, you'll pick up a few foolproof tips for pairing these wines with food, as well as other moneysaving tips about "second labels" and "satellite" wines. Whether attendees plan to host cozy dinners or corporate wine tasting entertainment, these 12 tips will leave them looking like an experienced connoisseur!
3. Chardonnay World Tour
You love buttery California Chardonnay. Good, but give it a rest. Take a sabbatical - for that's not the only way to enjoy the world's most popular white grape. Sample eight wines and be amazed at how many styles it comes in: crisp French Chablis, minerally white Burgundy, creamy Blanc de Blancs Champagne, tropical Aussie and fruity Italian. Then try three delicious Chardonnay blends: plump Aussie Semillon/Chardonnay, flowery Chilean Marsanne/Chardonnay and South Africa's tropical, lemony Viognier/Chardonnay. So be adventuresome, delve into new territory, and become more wine savvy on this eye-opening vino adventure. If you are looking for executive retreat ideas, this viticultural journey may inspire a few interesting ideas!
4. Food and Wine Pairing: Three Tips to Help You Pair with Flair
Do you always stick with the "same old, same old" when you order wine with your meal? Do you have a sense of "pairing-noia" when it's your turn to pick the wine for dinner? The Wine Diva reveals how the answers to these three easy questions can tell you in a matter of seconds the best type of wine to go with your meal.
- COOKING METHOD: Is the dish cooked in a clear liquid (water, broth, olive oil, vegetable oil) or browned (roasted, baked, sautéed, grilled)?
- FAT: Is the meat fatty or lean? Or does the dish have dominant fatty ingredients like butter, sour cream or mayonnaise?
- THE "S" FACTOR: Is the dish highly seasoned with prominent spicy, salty or smoky ingredients, or simply prepared?
These answers can tell you immediately whether the best wine partner for your dish would be a crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc or a soft, round Chardonnay with oaky, vanilla flavors. Or whether you should pick a fruity Pinot Noir or a Cabernet, which is not a particularly fruity wine. Her three tips will make you feel confident and prepared for any wine-pairing occasion. No more "pairing-noia." Now food and wine pairing is as easy as 1-2-3!
5. Hedonistic Red Wines to Help You Close/Celebrate a Deal
Voluptuous red wines can set the right mood and be a catalyst to transform a hurried meal into a dinner you linger over. In order to cover every budget, you'll taste reds that are great values and others that are smart splurges. At any price point, these "redheads" are a sumptuous indulgence that will help everyone relax and melt their cares away. This tasting is a truly sybaritic experience!
6. TEAM BUILDING: You’ve Just Bought a Winery….Now What?
If you are looking for convention entertainment ideas, you will love this upbeat presentation! This interactive session gets the audience thinking about not only the taste, but also the packaging and presentation of wine.
- TASTE: Each team tastes three styles of wines and selects their flagship wine for a product launch.
- PRICE: Are you going to price it as an everyday wine or a super premium? What's your rationale?
- NAME: Time to dream up a memorable name. Inspiration could come from anywhere and for more laughs could even reflect some quirky aspect of the client's product/service, a person in the company, or their competition. It's no holds barred as names can be funny, politically incorrect….you get the idea.
- DESIGN: Then it's time to design an attention-getting, colorful wine label that could mean the difference between someone reaching for your bottle on the shelf or passing it by. (Christine supplies the drawing paper and colorful magic markers.
- DREAM: You have to launch your new wine with a big idea, and for once there are no budget constraints.
- PITCH: Each team (if less than 40 people) has two minutes to present all their ideas about the wine they are going to launch in the marketplace. For 40 to 250 guests, The Wine Diva reviews all entries and selects four teams to present.
- VOTE: Everyone in the audience votes for their favorite the way people "vote" at wine festivals in Europe - by stomping their feet, pounding their fists on the table or twirling their napkins in the air! Watch people let loose as The Wine Diva "counts the votes" and announces the winners!
Other wine tasting topics include:
7. Luscious Vinos Latinos: The Best from Spain, Chile and Argentina
8. Taste Your Way to an Affordable Wine Cellar: 6 Ways to Drink Better for Less
9. Your Liquid 401K: Wine As An Investment
10. Age Gets Better With Wine: Red Wine Health Discoveries
Watch The Wine Diva In Action!
