IN THIS ISSUE:
A. Feature:
Effective Team Building with Wine
B. Event Highlights:
November Wine Tastings with Sommelier Jörn Kleinhans
C. Wine Elite Philosophy:
An Interview with Dr. Dwight Furrow on Blind-Tasting
This is
Sommelier Insight, the Wine Elite's monthly update for special events professionals and wine aficionados. Each month, we deliver new event ideas and objective perspective on wine from independent wine educators, sommeliers, and other wine experts.
Are you a special events professional interested in offering profitable, turn-key wine tasting events to clients? Are you looking for exciting promotions for the holiday season? The Wine Elite is your resource for Independent Experts and Speakers on Wine.
Our partners include industry leaders in hospitality, and our satisfied clients range from small private parties to large executive teams of Fortune 500 companies. To learn how partnering with the Wine Elite can help you generate new and recurring special events business, or to judge our work first-hand by attending a Wine Elite event for free, please
contact us now.
A. Effective Team Building with Wine: Event Programs that People Enjoy
Many clients for corporate events and other private functions welcome the idea of replacing standard receptions and banquet dinners with more entertaining events that feature interactive engagement and life-long educational value.
A systematic tasting tour of the world of wine guarantees a memorable event for any group (click on picture to open clear pdf for your use):
See more details about the Wine Elite's team building event options in our comprehensive brochure.
Plan and Book your holiday event with us by Friday, November 15th, and we'll send you a bottle of aged Barolo in time for the holidays.
B. Upcoming Wine Tastings — Our Business Partners can join one of our Public Tastings for free
The Wine Elite hosts an ongoing series of sommelier-guided wine tasting dinners, often in our signature blind-tasting format.
Upcoming wine dinners with Sommelier Jörn Kleinhans:
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"Comparing Expensive Wines and Budget Wines in an Unbiased Blind-Tasting" on Saturday November 23rd at the Newport Dunes Resort, Newport Beach on Saturday, November 23rd.
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"Wines of Blue Blood: Kings and Queens of the Old World" on Saturday, November 16th at Solare Ristorante, San Diego.
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"Cabernet Sauvignon From Around The World": Our monthly Sommelier Fireside Chat & Pairing Dinner at the award-winning Pinot Provence, Costa Mesa, on Wednesday, November 29th. This sommelier series at Pinot Provence has been very successful so far, and the upcoming event is expected to sell out. Write us for the detailed menu and to make reservations.
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We are also announcing of a high-end Sommelier Fireside Dinner series at the Ritz-Carlton/JW Marriott at L.A. Live: Starting in January, we will host an ongoing series of sommelier-guided wine pairing dinners at this top venue, setting new standards for Los Angeles. The Ritz-Carlton brand is a preferred partner of Wine Elite.
We can build a profitable ongoing wine program for your company as well. If you are a hospitality professional interested in finding out how a structured wine program like the Wine Elite's can benefit your business,
contact Joey to attend an event for free.
C. Wine Elite Philosophy: On Blind-Tasting
Dr. Dwight Furrow is a wine educator with the Wine Elite, and he leads many of the blind-tasting discussions in our public tasting events. He is one of the most prolific writers in the San Diego food and wine scene. His thoughts on many of our past events can be found here. Dwight is a professor of philosophy who combines his academic work with a passion for wine, and he is one of the leading thinkers and speakers on systematic wine appreciation today.
You can witness Dwight's approach to blind-tasting in our monthly public tasting dinners in San Diego. (See "Upcoming Wine Tastings" above, or write to Joey for future event updates.) Dwight's ability to identify the grape and origin of a given wine follows a process of skilled exclusion that is extremely instructive to anyone who enjoys wine.
Dwight, what do you think are the most intriguing wine types in the world?
I've always been fascinated by Pinot Noir in part because it is so sensitive to differences in soil and climate. But also because a good Pinot is mysterious. It can be simultaneously delicate and powerful and it leaves the impression that the next glass will reveal even greater depths. Riesling is also intriguing. In Germany, they get so much style variation out of that one grape.
Tell us about the delights and frustrations of blind-tasting in our ongoing wine appreciation series in San Diego.
Blind tasting is difficult. There is always delight when you manage not to make a fool out of yourself by at least judging correctly the region or variety. It is frustrating in that the technology of winemaking now allows winemakers the freedom to shape the aroma and taste of a wine so it no longer reflects the traditional flavor profile of its region or variety. That might be good for wine drinkers but it makes blind tasting even more difficult.
What do you know about wine today that you didn't know 5 years ago?
That wine is more than just a good tasting beverage. It can stimulate the imagination just as music or literature does. It is a rich source of metaphorical association, a source of meaning that connects us to people and places. No other food or drink has that kind of significance.
Resource Links
New: Food Critic Review of October Sommelier Fireside at Pinot Provence
New: Program Brochure for Team Building Events
October 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter
September 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter
August 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter
