{"id":2310,"date":"2023-02-27T16:21:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T16:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=2310"},"modified":"2023-02-27T16:21:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T16:21:21","slug":"wine-tasting-dinners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=2310","title":{"rendered":"Wine Tasting Dinners"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have attended a variety of wine tasting dinners.\u00a0 Some of them were associated with wine clubs of which we were members.\u00a0 Others, also related to our clubs, were hosted by a wine distributor who showed off the top offerings of several wineries.\u00a0 We often attend dinners given by a wine society.\u00a0 Most recently, our university alumni association has been sponsoring dinners that have featured winemakers who graduated from the college.<\/p>\n

In general, we have had the opportunity to taste a half dozen or more of what the producers believe are their best wines.\u00a0 In some cases where more than one winery is represented, there can be twenty or more wines available for tasting.\u00a0 Sometimes, we have been served tasting portions only; in others, the bar was essentially open.<\/p>\n

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A dinner at the Etude winery.\u00a0 Winemaker Jon Priest is speaking.<\/em><\/p>\n

With all that alcohol, there had better be some food served.\u00a0 Occasionally, we have been disappointed to be offered no more than hors d\u2019oeuvres that were passed around.\u00a0 At the same event the following year, we made sure to eat heartily before drinking, only to find that they had laid out enough food, buffet style, for two meals (that we barely touched).<\/p>\n

At the recent university affair, Rh\u00f4ne wines were poured to accompany a Chinese banquet, with 16 dishes.\u00a0 With so many food choices, appropriate pairings are nearly impossible.\u00a0 Sure, if they are carving roast beef, we\u2019ll stick with Cabernet Sauvignon or Ch\u00e2teauneuf du Pape.\u00a0 (One dinner put on by a winery that specializes in sparkling wines served short ribs.\u00a0 How did it work?\u00a0 Poorly.)\u00a0 And there is no Rh\u00f4ne wine\u00a0ever made to go with tofu in a spicy sauce.<\/p>\n

One of the attractions of these sorts of occasions is the opportunity to speak with representatives of the wineries or in some cases the winemakers themselves.\u00a0 This provides a chance to really understand the background of whatever we were tasting.\u00a0 We have learned about terroir, climate, farming techniques, trellising, pressing and barreling from the people who were in a position to know what they were talking about.\u00a0 For the most part, they seemed happy to discuss their products and field questions from avid \u2013 but not always knowledgeable \u2013 amateurs.<\/p>\n

We usually meet nice people at these events, with a range of backgrounds and interests.\u00a0 Of course, we were all united in being interested in the wines being served.\u00a0 (We don\u2019t remember ever encountering anyone who was there just to get drunk.)\u00a0 We have met young people just getting to learn about wine and oldsters whose cellars are as deep as their wine knowledge.\u00a0 Yes, there is a fair amount of wine snobbery and one-upmanship, but for the most part the talk have been convivial.<\/p>\n

At a seated dinner, we have always been at a table with strangers.\u00a0 As the meal has gone along \u2013 and the wine has flowed \u2013 conversations have become livelier.\u00a0 (Perhaps the wine was a factor?)\u00a0 We always find it interesting to hear how others have come to appreciate the wineries that are the stars of the show and compare their experiences with ours.<\/p>\n

One caveat: the wine tasting dinners are set up by people who sell wine for a living.\u00a0 There will always be a sales pitch and the opportunity to buy the wines that accompanied the dinners.\u00a0 We\u2019ve frequently taken advantage of some real bargains, but more often walked away without buying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have attended a variety of wine tasting dinners.\u00a0 Some of them were associated with wine clubs of which we were members.\u00a0 Others, also related to our clubs, were hosted by a wine distributor who showed off the top offerings of several wineries.\u00a0 We often attend dinners given by a wine society.\u00a0 Most recently, our … Continue reading Wine Tasting Dinners<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2310"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2312,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310\/revisions\/2312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}