Event Services Vintage wine consulting offers educational services for home and business events. Our services are particularly useful for client appreciation gatherings, fundraisers, holiday parties at home or in the office, and large corporate events. Services are tailored to suit client needs, ranging from intimate settings to large tastings. Events take the form of formal classes to casual conversations and everything in between. Usually, we send one wine educator, but we can also provide a team of experts for large events who can work the room and/or speak about the wines at wine stations. See below for some event concept examples. Prior to the event, Vintage Wine Consulting will assist the host in selecting the wines. By law, we cannot buy or bring the wine and we do not sell wine. Instead, the event host or caterer (assuming they have a liquor license) purchases the wine before the event. Event hosts are responsible for determining whether an event permit is needed required from the local Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Event Concepts Wine 101 This event focuses on the basics of wine, from vineyard to table. We discuss vineyard practices, winemaking techniques, noble grapes, and some major wine regions. We suggest tasting wines from key areas of the world (i.e., France, California, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa), and focusing on key “noble grapes” (i.e., Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Grigio). Quality Wines from Value Regions Several regions around the world offer quality wines at an especially affordable price. This tasting focuses on those wines, offering educational information on what key regions and terms to look for on the wine label, why these wines offer great value, and where to find them. We will also cover some of the basics of wine appreciation similar to Wine 101. Wines Under $10 This is sure to be a popular theme during economic hard times! The event shows that you don’t have to have a big budget to enjoy some nice wines. Vintage Wine Consulting helps hosts select great wines under ten dollars for this event and educates event participants on how to make educated selections when looking for such wines. The event also includes basic wine education regarding the wines selected, wine regions, and wine-making techniques. World Wine Tour During the World Wine Tour tasting, guests taste five to six wines, each from a different wine region. We suggest focusing on major wine regions such as regions in Europe (France/ Italy/German/Spain), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, California, and Washington State). The events covers the history, climate and other details about each region as well as addresses different wine-making techniques and labeling unique to each. Regional Focus Vintage Wine Consulting offers events focused on any particular wine region designated by the host. These tastings provide a more in-depth look at the region, its unique history and climatic attributes, the varietals common in that region, and pairing the wines with the regional cuisine. This event is perfect for the host who desires to pair wines with a cuisine from a particular part of the world, such as hosting an Italian dinner and wine stating. A focus on France is a good place to start for wine education and hence, a particularly good focus for this theme. Southern Hemisphere Signature Wines This tasting focuses on wines from major regions in the Southern Hemisphere, which is producing many high-value wines at value prices. We focus on some of the signature grapes for these regions. A tasting sample might include an Australian Shiraz, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a Chilean Carmenère, an Argentinean Torontes or Malbec, and a South Africa Pinotage or Chenin Blanc. We discuss the origins of these grapes, their unique qualities and why these grapes do well in these new wine world regions. Obscure and Unique Wines This tasting focuses on both or either of the lesser known varietals and lesser known wine regions. It offers information on these areas and grapes, their origins, current use, pairing information, and suggestions on where to find them. Blind Tasting This tasting includes five or six wines each from different varietals. The wines labels are covered and guests are asked to guess the grape variety as we conduct the tasting. We discuss why guests think the grape fits that profile and address the classic attributes of each grape. We strongly suggest that the tasting focus on wines made with the most popular grape varietals, e.g.,: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling. We also ask guests to guess price points and rate wine. Blind Wine Tasting Competition This tasting features six wines from three varietals. We suggest that hosts include two Chardonnays; two Cabernet Sauvignons, and two of another well-known varietal (e.g., Syrah/Shiraz/; Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Sangiovese). We would inform guests of the grape varietals and would discuss the origins and traits of each as we taste them. However, guests do not know the brands or prices until after they rate each for quality and assess likely price point. Hence guests would not only learn about the wines, but might learn whether price matters as much as they think it does. Premium Wines For those wine tasters with a bigger budget, this event would focus on wines in a price range of $30 and up. We focus on locating harder-to-find specialty wines as well as some of the more well known, pricier brands. We discuss the regions from which they come as well as reasons affecting the price and quality of the wines.