“Wine at business meals is a skirmish in a boardroom war, played out on a linen tablecloth. Your handling of wine, whether ordering it or just drinking it, matters more than you think to your colleagues. Sometimes people see your comfort or expertise with wine not as a comment on your knowledge, but on your character.”

Wall Street Journal May 5, 2000
TASTINGS by Dorothy Gaiter and John Becher

The following are some of the discussion points in this workshop:

• Appetites are fragile…concept of amuse-gueule and why it’s better to serve the most savory foods 1st!
• Always start with Champagne…it makes your guests feel special.
• Serve 2 wines compared simultaneously (This adds an intellectual dimension to your evening.)
• Concept of “food-friendliness” …why “award winning wines” do not necessarily go with many foods.
• Keeping foods and wines in perspective…never let one overwhelm the other!
• Never cleanse the palate!
• How to build your own small wine cellar by wisely investing in the 3 B’s…Beverage, Better & Best!
• How to determine value…learn the French quality control system of Attack, Evolution, Persistence.
• Understanding your personal taste…it is as uniquely different as your fingerprints…no one has the same opinion about any wine (because of this misunderstood principle).
• Using your Power Tools…the importance of using finer (crystal) glassware and decanters to set you apart from those who do not!
• Breathing…the importance of decanting wines.
• Reds are too warm & whites are too cold…understood the effects temperature has upon flavor!
• New World wines vs. Old World wines (European) learning how to recognize them and what kinds of foods to serve them with.
• Real tasters breathe backwards…understanding the organaleptic concept of “retro-nasale” synthesis as used at Univ. de Bordeaux…your food and wine will taste 10 % more flavorful!
• What are the best values on a restaurant wine list?
• Understand the concept of “Food wines”…without requisite acidity, your chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon may not be a very good choice with your food.

See Eddie Live and Share the Experience! Bring this workshop to your office meeting, conference or next executive function!

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Audiences everywhere know him as funny, approachable and non-intimidating. He gives them the knowledge and skills they need to enjoy wine, and gives them confidence to entertain impressively.