In Home Wine Tastings
Two-hour tasting or seminar, $300 for 10 guests, plus cost of wine. Topics include:
• Interactive “blind” tasting. Blind tastings – where the bottles are hidden in paper bags — surprise participants about their perceived preferences for price, label or varietal. Taylor brings several bottles to test your tongue. She lists the available wines and descriptions and participants match them up with her guidance. Can be themed: Wines Around the USA; Bubblies Around the World; Affordable, Everyday Wines. Includes handouts, wine selections, food pairing suggestions and set up.
• General education seminar. A more formal, sit-down format where Taylor teaches the basics of wine or she can customize the subject matter to the audience. Themes include: Wine Tasting 101, Basics of Food and Wine Pairing, the World’s Major Growing Regions and Their Grapes. Includes handouts, wine selections and set up.
• Entertaining with wine. Taylor teaches how to impress your guests by going way beyond their expectations: Choose the right glassware, use large-format bottles, chill the reds, decant the wines, serve ideal food and wine pairings, and use pairs of wines to teach your guests how to compare and contrast “food wines.” Push the envelope and your guests will be amazed. Includes handouts, wine selections and set up.
• Wine basics for business dinners. Corporate executives regularly face a wine dilemma at high-powered dinners. What to order? How much to spend? This seminar delves deeply into the wine etiquette and selection process. Not done with a meal; however minimal food is used for the purpose of illustrating the concept of food wines. Includes educational handouts, wine selections and set up.
• Guided wine tasting. Casual format. Taylor brings several bottles of specially chosen wine selections, introduces them one by one and participants discuss with Taylor and the others. Best for groups wanting to mingle but also learn a bit. Includes handouts, wine selections and set up.
Special wine dinner. Taylor works with the caterer or chef to custom-design a sit-down dinner with delicious, complementary wines. She discusses the concept of food-wines and demonstrates why some wines enhance food flavors better than others. Includes handouts, research, menu development and set up. $400 for 10 guests, plus cost of wine.
• Personal Wine Helper: Build your wine cellar
Intimidated by the aisles and aisles of wine choices? I can help choose wine selections for your wine fridge or cellar. Available via phone or in person, depending on your location. $100 per hour.