Wanna see what we do?*

Jamie hosted book club this month and wanted it to be fun! For the party, Jamie planned to build a cheeseboard but didn't know what wine to pour... and honestly didn't know where to get some really good cheese. After we met, Jamie had more confidence knowing the exact wine to buy, where to buy it, and finally knew about an amazing cheese shop in town who had everything needed! Jamie was able to give everyone cool stories about the pairings and how it all worked together.  Everyone said it was the best book club ever and Jamie set a new standard for hosting. Not me... JAMIE!

One of our favorite things to do is introduce people to that next thing they might like. And our way to do it went something like this...

Our guest, Miranda, knew she wanted a sparkling wine (maybe Champagne?), a light red (probably Pinot?), a fun white wine (Sauv Blanc most likely?), a medium bodied red for the main course (Cab??) and maybe something for dessert (leftover wine from the first courses?). We asked Miranda if we could theme the night "Similar but Different" so we could introduce the group to wines that met the description but most people probably never had. So... she poured Franciacorta (Italian sparkler), a Gamay (light red from Beaujolais), Albarino (amazing Spanish white), a Cape Blend (Cab/Pinotage blend from South Africa), and an Ice Wine from Canada for dessert. Literally no one had ever had any of these before and everyone was lining up to take pictures of the labels for their next trip to the wine shop. Needless to say, she expanded everyone's wine palate that night!

COVID numbers finally started to come down for a bit and everyone felt like it was time to have a big blow out dinner party and Gwen & Gavin offered to host. With 10 friends eager to really do it up, they all agreed that the night needed to have top tier wine, caviar, crab legs, the WORKS! After Gwen & Gavin met with us, they had a list of great food merchants across the country who could ship the best stuff right to their door. With our pairing notes for all of the food and wine and the perfect wines already picked out, they headed to a local wine shop to (confidently!) buy two cases of the finest Champagnes, Burgundies, and Cabernets money could buy. It was their first time buying actual Champagne and real French Pinot Noir.  They KNEW it was all money well spent because it was professionally organized and met their needs, budget (which was large!), and most importantly the palates and expectations of everyone at the party.

One more fun example of how we work is about taking the fear out of wine and food shopping. Peter was always hesitant to go into local wine shops to buy anything for a gathering. He didn't really know how to describe his preferences and always felt like all eyes were on him and they knew he was lost. He would get home feeling like he overpaid for something he didn't even like. When we met, we talked through his survey responses to understand what he liked and didn't like. After some discussion, we learned that he didn't like New World Syrahs but may be a fan of Old World. We pulled together a comparison tasting to try Old vs. New World and suggested some great charcuterie to pair and bring out some cool flavors in the wines. After the tasting that HE hosted, he called to let us know he has never been more confident going to a wine shop and telling them what he wants.