Nowadays young people who have the foresight to actually plan a career in wine can choose from a plethora of study programmes that focus on different academic aspects of wine. Not so long ago, however, there was hardly any professional wine education available. Join Wine Tasting Party.
Dreaming of having your own successful wine gift basket business? Looking for ideas and tips on how you can market your product as well as creating your very own designs? There is no sure fire way to a successful business. Diligence, patience, a good product, and belief in yourself are important factors of a successful business. With that said, here are some things that you should consider for your business:
Marketing Ideas 101
- Introduce yourself to the target market. There are many ways on how you can do this. You can offer your baskets to a local charity during Christmas or Thanksgiving to be distributed to people. You could also partner with a local bakeshop or deli and include bread or meat in the basket. Make sure that the reporter for the local newspaper is present to take pictures. This is beneficial to both you and your partner's establishment.
- Get to know local clubs and associations that may potentially be your clients. Start by asking if they are open to the idea of selling your wine baskets at fundraising parties. You can give a percentage to the organization in exchange for access to the fundraising party and their members.
- Ask for help from your family and friends in organizing basket parties. Use your networks, socialization opens doors that you might miss.
- Create themes and accessorize. Make baskets that are exclusively for particular events and holidays. A good example would be to market a "valentine basket" filled with wine, chocolates, hotel passes, the works. This will increase the demand for your product once the consumers become aware of it.
- Forge a business partnership with event organizers and meeting planners. Gift baskets are staple items that are given as welcoming items at conferences and conventions. Expect large orders from them so it is important that you are ready and have many prepared. Prepare weeks before the event so that you won't have a bad reputation as someone who can't deliver on your obligations. This can make or break your business.
- Have your own online shop which sells your products. This is another effective way of reaching out to your target consumers. It also presents a convenience to them and they will be more encouraged to buy from an online store which is more convenient than actually going all the way to a department store.
Running a business is a tough thing to do. There will definitely be ups and downs but it is really up to you to take command of your business.
The history of wine consumption in America has been frought with starts, stops, and inconsistencies. The American population has always had a love-hate relationship with alcohol. Historic prohibitionist attitudes amongst much of the American population have blurred the line between moderate wine consumption and detrimental alcoholism. As a result, regular, moderate consumption of wine by the American public continues to face ideological and legal impediments.
The History of Wine Consumption During the Colonial Years
Since its origins, the history of wine consumption in America has been both encouraged and despised by different demographic groups. Spanish missionaries produced the earliest New World wine during the early 17th Century. Shortly thereafter, French immigrants began to cultivate grapes in the Hudson River Valley. They made wine, juice, and preserves.
If you enjoy wine and your friends enjoy wine, a casual wine tasting can be a great way to enjoy wine together and test each other’s palates. You can hold blind tastings if you really want to test your skills and the skills of your friends, or you can just get together and try out the different types of wines that you and your friends enjoy.
Many formal wine tastings do not allow you to swallow the wine. The tasting is simply to get the taste, smell the bouquet and enjoy the overall experience of the wine. At your casual tasting you can feel free to allow your guests to drink the wine, but there may be sobriety issues if you do this. It is also important to realize that you may not get the full flavor and effect of the wine as you get deeper into the tastings.
Either way that you perform your tasting you will want to have clean glasses for each person and each bottle. You will also need a clean white tablecloth. The white tablecloth will allow you to get a good view of the wine. The tablecloth allows you to see the wine’s body and any sediment that may be in the glass from an aged wine. Candlelight will also allow you to see the wine clearly and any sediment that may be in the bottle or decanter. Clean glasses are extremely important, as any residue in the glass will cause your wine to have an impure taste.
To help keep the event easy, ask your guests to bring a bottle of their favorite wine. You may also need them to bring their own glasses if you do not have enough. You will also need some crackers or bread to help cleanse the palate as well as room temperature water. Cold water will shock your taste buds.
You will want to decant your red wines. If you cannot decant them all at once, you may want to pour a small amount in each glass and allow them to breathe a bit. The more air contact the wine has, the better they will taste. You may also choose to explore the difference that decanting makes. Taste the wine at ten and fifteen minute intervals. White and blush wine should be chilled slightly before serving.
When you taste your wines, it is a good idea to have a paper and pencil available so that your guests can take notes and rank their wines. You will also want to start with lighter and simpler wines and then move on to the drier and heavier wines. You will not taste your white wines as well as if you drink the heavier and dry wines first. If you must reuse a glass, swirl some water around in it and dry it with a clean cloth so that the water does not dilute the wine.
Begin by looking at the wine and observing its clarity and color. A wine is judged on its color, aroma and taste. Hold the wine up to a light and note the color of the wine. The wine should also appear to be clear and cloudy. Next, tip the glass slightly and swirl it gently. The wine flows around the glass and if the wine clings and dribbles down the side in “legs” or stripes, this mean that the wine is a medium bodied wine. If the wine forms a sheet, it is a full-bodied wine.
Next, tip the glass and swirl the wine around while holding it a little bit away from your nose. This helps to increase the amount of scent that is available for your nose to smell. Inhale the wine deeply and then move it away, this will keep you from becoming overwhelmed by the aroma. You may be able to smell fruit, yeast, grass, or earth in the wine.
The last step is to taste the wine. Take a small sip and push it up in front of your mouth and then inhale through your teeth. Slosh the wine around in your mouth and cover your tongue with it. You are going to want to taste the predominant tastes at first and then the secondary tastes that appear. Is the wine’s taste complex? Does it have a wood-taste?
Take a moment between wines to rinse your mouth and take a bite of unsalted crackers or bread. This will help to clear the taste from the previous wines. If you hold a blind tasting, place the bottles in brown bags or remove the labels. Have your guests make notes and guess what the varietals and brands are.
Wine tastings don’t have to be formal affairs. They can be very casual and you can have a lot of fun with it. There are even wine tasting kits that you can buy to supply you with the necessary bags, tags and other wine information that you may need.
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