Sommelier Insight for event professionals and wine connoisseurs.

IN THIS ISSUE:

A. Feature: Guided Tastings for Corporate Clients
B. Event Highlights: Upcoming Wine Tastings
C. Wine Elite Philosophy: Regional Typicity


Welcome to Sommelier Insight, the newsletter for wine connoisseurs, event managers and hospitality professionals. Here you will receive (A) valuable information and ideas about trends in the special events space, as well as (B) information about live wine events in the Southern California area, and (C) the Wine Elite's unique commentary on philosophical issues in the field of wine appreciation.

In this issue of Sommelier Insight, we are highlighting ideas for sommelier-guided corporate events that can be highly useful for hotels and destination management experts as they suggest event solutions to their clients. Please review our program package here, and enjoy our recent article in Special Events Magazine.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please write to [email protected]. We will swiftly reply to each email.




A. Guided Tastings for Corporate Clients

Following the growing popularity of wine in the United States in the last few years, many high-end meeting planners have seen a drastic increase in demand from their top corporate clients for wine-tasting experiences guided by certified sommeliers.

In a recent article for SpecialEvents.com, I suggested five key factors that explain this trend and its likely continuation into the future. You can read the article here.





B. Upcoming Wine Tastings

For those of you who are new to the Wine Elite, we offer top-quality corporate and private events nation-wide through our strong network of Certified Sommeliers. Our most recent tasting events have put us in front of Fortune 500 executives, from Napa Valley to Laguna Beach to San Diego.

In addition to private events, we offer regular wine tasting dinners and seminars in the greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas. If you'd like to get a taste of what we're about, feel free to join us at an upcoming event:




C. Wine Elite Philosophy: Regional Typicity

We believe that the best and quickest way to learn about the key grapes of the world is to source wines from their original (and usually best) growing regions.

In all of our tastings, we show clients the essentials, rather than venturing into experimental interpretations, in order to create an authentic impression of each wine's identity. This allows for discussion of "typicity"—how typical a wine is of its kind—which is an important quality factor. Here is a list of the major white and red grapes of the world and their best appellations. 

5 of the Distincitive Red Grapes:
  • Cabernet Sauvignon: Margaux, Bordeaux, France (also good: Chile, Italy, USA, South Africa)
  • Pinot Noir: Burgundy, France (also grows well in Marlborough, New Zealand and Oregon, USA)
  • Syrah: Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone, France (Australia makes a warmer and more bombastic Syrah, which is called Shiraz there)
  • Nebbiolo: Barolo, Piemonte, Italy (not good anywhere outside Piemonte)
  • Sangiovese: Chianto Classico, Tuscany, Italy (not authentic anywhere else)
The 3 Main White Noble Varietals:
  • Riesling: Mosel, Germany and Alsace, France (Mosel for sweet, Alsace for dry. Other regions lack clarity of typical attributes.)
  • Sauvignon Blanc: Sancerre, Loire, France (a more amplified grapefruit flavor shows in Marlborough New Zealand. American Sauvignon Blanc usually misses the citric clarity of the French original)
  • Chardonnay: Chablis and Burgundy, France (no other regions recommended, but California makes some Chardonnay's that remain true to the mineral and clear original)


Resource Links

Jörn "Joey" Kleinhans, CSW
Certified Sommelier, Public Speaker on Wine, and Chief Sommelier of the Wine Elite.

The Wine Elite is an independent sommelier company specializing in private and corporate wine tasting events all over the United States. We are headquartered in Huntington Beach, California.

Our sommelier network spans across all 50 states and the Caribbean, with the strongest presences in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Las Vegas.

For more information, and to see upcoming public events, go to www.WineElite.org.







Dr. Dwight Furrow reviews the Wine Elite's "Screaming Eagle" tasting. Reviews of many other events can be found here.












Sommelier Joey Kleinhans during a wine comparison seminar


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