Sommelier Insight for hospitality professionals and wine connoisseurs.

IN THIS ISSUE:

A. Feature: How to Arrange a Successful Wine Tasting at Home
B. Event Highlights: March's Wine Tasting Dinners and Seminars
C. Wine Elite Philosophy: Sommelier Kennedy Announces Top Wine Regions 


This is Sommelier Insight, the Wine Elite's update for wine aficionados, restaurant professionals and event planners.

Each month, we deliver wine event ideas, a schedule of upcoming wine appreciation courses, and objective perspective on wine from independent sommeliers who ruthlessly take the consumer's perspective.

We are Your Nationwide Resource for Private & Corporate Wine Events, Wine Education and Sommelier Expertise: www.WineElite.org

Since I started to concentrate on building a leading sommelier company in early 2013, we have launched cutting edge wine programs for restaurants, built ongoing wine seminar series that have been experienced by thousands of private and corporate attendees around the country.

In this April we are launching the Sommelier Training Academy, teaching the essentials of blind-tasting and sommelier skills to those who are interested in gaining professional-grade wine knowledge. As an independent wine education company, we will provide trade members and hobbyists with objective information about the certification programs at the Society of Wine Educators, Court of Master Sommeliers and WSET. If you live in Southern California, reserve here. If you live in a different region, read on:

There are two types of courses: Live in Newport Beach, California on four Thursday nights (starting April 3rd), and an interactive online program: We are launching the first sommelier and wine training that allows you to practice blind-tasting effectively with us, live from your home office. Contact us if you are interested, or wonder how this will work.

Further, we are glad to announce that The Wine Elite will develop a new and leading wine program at Tamarind of London in Newport Coast. Tamarind Restaurant Group is the famous Indian-cuisine recipient of a Michelin star -- next month we can share details of how this pedigree will be paired with a world-class wine program. Meanwhile, plan a dinner drive down the California coast and enjoy the extreme wine service offered by my sommelier team, on Fridays and Saturdays at Tamarind.

We can be reached at [email protected] and 310 467 5582.



A. Successful Wine Tasting at Home -- Checklist for Your Private Event

Many corporate events today include a guided wine tasting, because it can combine the objectives of education, entertainment and personal development.

You can create your own private wine tasting event at your home. Go here to see and print our full checklist for your reference. Here are excerpts:

1. Plan for 8-10 different wines for the event, let guests taste 2 wines at a time, side by side, so that they can appreciate the flavor contrast.

2. Have 2 wine glasses for each guest. 

3. For up to 12 guests, 1 bottle per wine is enough, resulting in 8-10 bottles total. For more than 12 guests, you want to have 2 (or more) bottles of each wine.

4. One bottle provides 13 pours of 2oz each. That's a good tasting portion.

5. Don't just taste American wines at your wine tasting party. Show the diversity of the world without incurring more cost.

6. Perhaps have a sparkling wine (Cava, Prosecco or Champagne) as the welcome drink, but you will need flute-shaped glasses for that.

7. Have 2-3 white wines and 6-7 red wines for the tasting. Most people prefer red, but a few whites make a well-rounded event. 

8. Wine Selection - Just draw from the important classics, and keep it diverse:

White:
  • Riesling from Germany
  • Viognier from Rhone Valley, France
  • Chardonnay from Chablis, France
  • Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley, France
  • Torrontes from Argentina
  • Gewuerztraminer from Alsace, France 
  • Chenin Blanc from South Africa
  • Albarino from Spain
Red:
  • Pinot Noir from Burgundy or New Zealand
  • Syrah from Rhone Valley or Australia
  • Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux or Napa Valley
  • Cabernet Franc from Loire Valley, France
  • Gamay from Beaujolais, France
  • Chianti or Brunello from Tuscany, Italy
  • Nebbiolo from Barolo or Barbaresco, Italy
  • Tempranillo from Rioja in Spain
  • Grenache from Southern Rhone, France
  • Carmenere from Chile
  • Malbec from Argentina
  • Zinfandel from Paso Robles, California

Read the remainder of the private wine event checklist here, including suggested tasting formats, food considerations, budgeting and event set-up



 


B. Upcoming Public Wine Tastings in Southern California


The Wine Elite Society hosts an ongoing series of sommelier-guided wine tasting dinners for the public, often in our signature blind-tasting format. As mentioned above, we are also offering a sommelier training course for restaurant staff and wine connoisseurs.

Here are a few March tasting opportunities for Southern California residents:


-- Wine Elite Society ttastings in Orange County, San Diego and Los Angeles. The March tastings have a Bordeaux focus.

This is Southern California's only serious wine appreciation series. Join one of these guided dinner events, you will be impressed.


-- Sommelier Training Academy: Click Blind-Tasting and Sommelier Skills, this course will be held on Thursday nights of April in Newport Beach. 

If you are interested in this type of course, but would like to learn about the interactive online webinar tasting course that is available nationwide, please email us.


-- Pinot Provence in Orrange County -- A guided four-course pairing dinner with the Top Wines of Europe, on March 19th. Reserve here.

The menu of our most recent event (February) can be found here.


-- Coming soon at the Ritz-Carltton in downtown Los Angeles: 
 





C. Wine Elite Philosophy: From Gourmet to Wine Educator to Wine Maker

Kirk Kennedy is sometimes admired and sometimes feared around the dinner table, due to his fierce blind-tasting capabilities and frank evaluations. As a Southern California winemaking pioneer, Kirk looks under the hood of the product and gives candid advice on what to avoid and what to pursue. 

His sharp commentary at the Sommelier Panel Shows of the Wine Elite has been a noted highlight among attendees.

Today he tells us about his favorite 7 wine regions.

1. Kirk, how has your recent winemaking activity changed your perspective on wine education?

After three seasons of growing and harvesting grapes, fermenting, crushing and pressing must into juice, racking barrels and bottling wine, my perspective and understanding of the overall process has deepened my appreciation of wine and improved my ability to educate others on the subject.  

2. What do you think are the 5 critical grape/region combinations in the world, and why?
  • Bordeaux, France and Napa Valley, California; because of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and the varietal blending that occurs with these grapes in both locations.  I’m not mentioning Malbec because it isn’t much of a factor in either place these days. Nobody makes better Cabernet wine and or the Bordeaux/Meritage blends than these two regions.
  • Burgundy, France; to best understand Pinot Noir and Chardonnay I think t is beneficial to learn about the history and wines of Burgundy.  Understanding the old world structure of Burgundy is necessary when analyzing the new world structure of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 
  • Piedmont, Italy; nowhere else on the planet can anyone come close to growing the Nebbiolo grape and producing wine like Barolo than Piedmont.  The tar and roses of aged Barolo is in a class by itself.
  • Rioja, Spain; in blind tastings I have always had success with identifying the Tempranillo grape of Rioja, especially in an aged Gran Reserva. Rioja wine is unique and wonderful. 
  • Rhone, France and Paso Robles, California; the Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Rousanne and Marsanne grape/wine blends are some of my favorite wines; these two areas do it the best.

3. What's your perspective on the future of the California wine industry?

The status of the California Wine Industry is healthy because Napa Valley is a world leader today, and many European Wine makers have chosen to come to California because of the flexible regulations and climatic conditions of the American Viticultural Areas.  However, watch out for Washington State, the latitude and climate is better than California's, especially if global warming will play a role in the future.

You can reach Kirk via [email protected].
 





 


Meeting Professionals and Restaurant Managers: Check out all our Resources

Catalog for Corporate Wine Tasting Events

Catalog of Wine Elite Programs for Restaurants

Topic Suggestions for Private Events

Private Wine Event Checklist

Whiskey Tasting Tips

GrapeRadio Interview

Speaker Profile at GigMasters

Public Speaker Program on Wine One-Sheet

Wine Elite Corporate Event Video

Essential Wine Tips 2pager

Special Events Idea One-Sheet

Program Brochure for Team Building Events


February 2014 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter

January 2014 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter

December 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter

November 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter

October 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter

September 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter

August 2013 "Sommelier Insight" Newsletter
Jörn Kleinhans, CSW
Certified Sommelier, Public Speaker on Wine, and owner of The Wine Elite.

The Wine Elite is an independent sommelier and wine expert company -- your central resource for events and advisory.

Our sommelier network spans across all 50 states and the Caribbean, with the strongest presences in L.A., OC, San Diego, San Franscisco and Las Vegas.

For more information, go to www.WineElite.org.
























 
Dr. Dwight Furrow, CSW is a San Diego based wine educator with The Wine Elite and one of the most prolific authors in the field of wine appreciation and culinary philosophy.

Every month, you can read here about his latest run-ins with the wine world and its representatives.

Read here how Dwight elegantly dismantles the prevailing myth of subjectivity in wine: "A Matter of Taste"

























































 
Kirk Kennedy hates to be just a consumer. He is a master in the kitchen, and a tough practitioner on the berry sorting table.

Observe Kirk's talents at one of the tasting events of The Wine Elite. You can also request him to join the Wine Elite sommelier panel at your corporate event.
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