Picture this…you're in charge of entertaining a dozen clients at a National Convention. You were lucky enough to secure a reservation at a great restaurant…you're all set!...or, are you?
Upon entering your restaurant you find that your table is not quite ready and are told to go have a drink at the bar. Your guests disperse until beckoned and you concern yourself with the restaurant rather than them. Once you are finally seated there is an onslaught of Captains, who repeat the evening's specialties at warp speed, sommeliers with wine lists that take time to study not to mention your guests who are now shouting out their items that you'll need to pair with the appropriate wines.
Are you feeling comfortable?
The "fine dining" restaurant business is frenzied, especially at convention time. They are usually over-booked, overwhelmed and hoping to survive the evening with minimal complaints.
In order to have the very best experience at strengthening client relationships within the restaurant environment you need to do a little pre-planning.
Here are my suggestions:
1. When you make your reservation, ask to speak directly with the manager or wine director/sommelier.
2. Tell them you want to spend time with your clients and wish to pre-arrange as much as possible to achieve that goal. Decide right then if you have found the right person who's willing to work with your intentions. Your successful experience depends upon your relationship with that person. If you can't find the right person…change restaurants.
3. Give them your budget.
4. Always start with champagne for the ultimate acknowledgement.
5. Tell the manager you wish two wines paired with the 1st course. (This is both original, as well as entertaining.)Possibilities... New World vs. Old World (California Chardonnay vs. French white Burgundy…discuss food-friendliness between the two) Horizontal tasting (compare 2 wineries/same grape variety…Napa/Sonoma Chardonnay vs. Santa Barbara Chardonnay…discuss stylistic differences) Vertical tasting (compare 2 vintages/same winery…1998 cabernet vs. 1999)
6. Ask them about their signature menu items and go with them. Ask them what wines on their list are showing best with them.
7. Have them fax you their suggested food and wine pairings. Look them over and make your decision.8. Ask them if they have a small private dining room…round tables are the best.
Now you have Champagne waiting at your table. You have chosen the 1st course with two comparative wines that will stimulate conversation. When your guests arrive, YOU are in control and can spend your time with them. This way you avoid the initial stress experienced by all the others who didn't pre-plan their event.
Other things to consider:
1. Ask them if they can provide crystal glassware. These can be rented at a nominal cost. Fine glassware provides powerful impact.
2. Have them decant all red wines! This adds a touch of class and sets YOU apart from others who might entertain your clients.
3. With parties of 10 or more, I like to serve Red wines from magnum (double size) bottles. Most restaurants don't carry Magnums but, by calling them in advance, they will have time to special order them for YOUR party.
I can not tell you how often I've witnessed business dinners miss their mark because of the lack of proper pre-planning.
Don't let the restaurant happen to you!
Plan Ahead, Impress Your Guests
Enjoy!
If you'd like to learn more, go to Eddie's blog at www.vinojester.com
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Top 10 Wines to Try Before You Die!
We all know that wine has become a part of our entertainment enjoyment. But a lot of persons have no idea what the difference is between "Two-Buck-Chuck" (Charles Shaw*) or between a nice Pinot Noir. I will touch on how you can easily tell the difference in a few future articles, but for now I'm going to make it very simple for you and give you a great list to choose from. *About a year or so ago, we had a good harvest and a surplus of wine, so they were able to bring the price down for the abundant supply available.
If you enjoy wine for entertaining, you must try to sample at least a few of these wines in your lifetime!
> 1st Growths: Chateau Latour, Mouton, Lafite,
Margaux, Haut Brion
1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005
> Penfold's Grange
1983, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2002
> Chateau d' Yquem (1/2 bottles)
1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005
> Vintage Madeira: BUAL
Oldest you can afford
> White Burgundy: Domaine Leflaive, Paul Pernot,
Etienne Sauzet
1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005 1er Cru $$$ Grand Cru $$$$
> Red Burgundy: DRC, Dujac, Lignier, Groffier, Chevillion, et al
1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 Grand Cru $$$$$
> Champagne: Tête de cuve Cristal, Taittinger,
Krug, Dom P, et al
1985, 1990, 1996, 2002
> Hermitage "La Chappelle", Guigal Cote Rotie "La Landonne"
1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2003
> Tuscany: Sassicaia, Solia, Brunello di Montalcino
1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005
> Eiswein, German: Gunderloch, Robert Weil, Zilliken, J.J. Prüm
1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
> Vega Sicilia Unico :
2001, 2004, 2005
* These are alternatives to American wines (I want to push your horizons!) Let your retailer assist you with this…there are many substitutes
Cheers,
Eddie Osterland, Celebrity Comedian and Power Entertaining Keynote Speaker
America's First Master Sommelier presenting keynote speaker dinner entertainment, while mixing a different niche for client appreciation parties, conferences or conventions. With this, he adds his knowledge, humor, fun and entertainment and makes it all simple to enjoy and understand. He teaches power-entertaining even to the meek! He will share his simple wine tips with you for easy home, restaurant and event entertainment, making YOU look like a star! If you'd like to learn more, go to Eddie's website www.eddieosterland.com
If you enjoy wine for entertaining, you must try to sample at least a few of these wines in your lifetime!
> 1st Growths: Chateau Latour, Mouton, Lafite,
Margaux, Haut Brion
1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005
> Penfold's Grange
1983, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2002
> Chateau d' Yquem (1/2 bottles)
1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005
> Vintage Madeira: BUAL
Oldest you can afford
> White Burgundy: Domaine Leflaive, Paul Pernot,
Etienne Sauzet
1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005 1er Cru $$$ Grand Cru $$$$
> Red Burgundy: DRC, Dujac, Lignier, Groffier, Chevillion, et al
1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 Grand Cru $$$$$
> Champagne: Tête de cuve Cristal, Taittinger,
Krug, Dom P, et al
1985, 1990, 1996, 2002
> Hermitage "La Chappelle", Guigal Cote Rotie "La Landonne"
1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2003
> Tuscany: Sassicaia, Solia, Brunello di Montalcino
1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005
> Eiswein, German: Gunderloch, Robert Weil, Zilliken, J.J. Prüm
1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
> Vega Sicilia Unico :
2001, 2004, 2005
* These are alternatives to American wines (I want to push your horizons!) Let your retailer assist you with this…there are many substitutes
Cheers,
Eddie Osterland, Celebrity Comedian and Power Entertaining Keynote Speaker
America's First Master Sommelier presenting keynote speaker dinner entertainment, while mixing a different niche for client appreciation parties, conferences or conventions. With this, he adds his knowledge, humor, fun and entertainment and makes it all simple to enjoy and understand. He teaches power-entertaining even to the meek! He will share his simple wine tips with you for easy home, restaurant and event entertainment, making YOU look like a star! If you'd like to learn more, go to Eddie's website www.eddieosterland.com
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Indian Summer Wines
As the warm sun and colors of our Indian Summer is upon us and I have a couple of things I want you to think about.
There's always that question, when you are out shopping, about which wine best complements certain foods. I suggest that you let the food choice dictate your wine selection. Select the salient tastes in the dish and match the wine to it/them…you can't miss!
Let's briefly discuss the concept of "food wines." Take fish for example. It's a popular summer item, usually accompanied with a slice of lemon. We squeeze the lemon on the fish and start digging in. The acidity in the lemon amplifies flavors in the fish, cuts through any oiliness and, if not over-done, enhances the fish's flavor. When it comes to choosing a wine to complement your fish, you should find one that acts as a "stunt double" for the lemon. Here you need a crisp wine (red or white) that has the requisite acidity to fire up the flavors and cut through sauces like beurre blanc, etc. My favorites for whites include Sauvignon blancs from France (Sancerre and Pouilly fumés), New Zealand (look for the more subtle ones that don't scream one-dimensional grapefruit), and South Africa. My absolute favorite white food wines are the "recently being discovered" dry German Rieslings-trocken (dry) and halb-trocken (semi-dry).
Food & Wine Synergy: Food wines are like condiments when combined with food…they improve the end results! Imagine this: You are out at your favorite fish restaurant and you order some swordfish. It comes and you dig in impatiently because you love swordfish so much. Then upon reflection, you realize that you forgot to add that little squeeze of lemon. So, you quickly pick up that lemon wedge and proceed to squeeze it into your mouth - obviously, that would be downright unpleasant.
Having studied behavioral psychology before embarking into the wine & food arena, let me share with you an observation that I always experience when I watch people dining out. The average restaurant guest orders his fish, chooses an appropriate food wine (having the requisite acidity) and when it comes he does the following: Open mouth, eat two bites of fish, swallow fish and reach for the wine to wash it down. What's wrong with that, you ask? If wine and food are to be synergistic, then you need to enjoy them simultaneously. By this I mean just before you swallow your salmon, you introduce a little sip of your high acid wine at the same time…then and only then will the food and wine be in concert. In other words, how can you ask a wine's acidity to add to the flavor of your fish when it is already residing in your stomach? There is a reason why we put salt, pepper and lemon juice on our food before we begin to taste.
My favorite red "food wine" is Pinot Noir, the best of which are from France (Burgundy), Oregon, New Zealand, Italy and California. As far as California Pinot Noirs, you need to be vigilant as they seem to present in two very different styles. First, are those heavily extracted, fruit bombs (more than 15.5% alcohol). Although these may win contests thanks to sheer power of extract, they kill any delicate food flavors, not to mention having a searing aftertaste. I like the others that are vinified in the fashion of French burgundies being what I call pretty. They are elegant, crisp, low alcohol (13.2 -14) and are sinful with food…I have, on occasion found them to be sinful on their own! Your favorite wine merchant can assist you in finding the regions that produce them.
Learn more at www.eddieosterland.com
Enjoy the rest of your summer! Cheers! Eddie - America's First Master Sommelier
There's always that question, when you are out shopping, about which wine best complements certain foods. I suggest that you let the food choice dictate your wine selection. Select the salient tastes in the dish and match the wine to it/them…you can't miss!
Let's briefly discuss the concept of "food wines." Take fish for example. It's a popular summer item, usually accompanied with a slice of lemon. We squeeze the lemon on the fish and start digging in. The acidity in the lemon amplifies flavors in the fish, cuts through any oiliness and, if not over-done, enhances the fish's flavor. When it comes to choosing a wine to complement your fish, you should find one that acts as a "stunt double" for the lemon. Here you need a crisp wine (red or white) that has the requisite acidity to fire up the flavors and cut through sauces like beurre blanc, etc. My favorites for whites include Sauvignon blancs from France (Sancerre and Pouilly fumés), New Zealand (look for the more subtle ones that don't scream one-dimensional grapefruit), and South Africa. My absolute favorite white food wines are the "recently being discovered" dry German Rieslings-trocken (dry) and halb-trocken (semi-dry).
Food & Wine Synergy: Food wines are like condiments when combined with food…they improve the end results! Imagine this: You are out at your favorite fish restaurant and you order some swordfish. It comes and you dig in impatiently because you love swordfish so much. Then upon reflection, you realize that you forgot to add that little squeeze of lemon. So, you quickly pick up that lemon wedge and proceed to squeeze it into your mouth - obviously, that would be downright unpleasant.
Having studied behavioral psychology before embarking into the wine & food arena, let me share with you an observation that I always experience when I watch people dining out. The average restaurant guest orders his fish, chooses an appropriate food wine (having the requisite acidity) and when it comes he does the following: Open mouth, eat two bites of fish, swallow fish and reach for the wine to wash it down. What's wrong with that, you ask? If wine and food are to be synergistic, then you need to enjoy them simultaneously. By this I mean just before you swallow your salmon, you introduce a little sip of your high acid wine at the same time…then and only then will the food and wine be in concert. In other words, how can you ask a wine's acidity to add to the flavor of your fish when it is already residing in your stomach? There is a reason why we put salt, pepper and lemon juice on our food before we begin to taste.
My favorite red "food wine" is Pinot Noir, the best of which are from France (Burgundy), Oregon, New Zealand, Italy and California. As far as California Pinot Noirs, you need to be vigilant as they seem to present in two very different styles. First, are those heavily extracted, fruit bombs (more than 15.5% alcohol). Although these may win contests thanks to sheer power of extract, they kill any delicate food flavors, not to mention having a searing aftertaste. I like the others that are vinified in the fashion of French burgundies being what I call pretty. They are elegant, crisp, low alcohol (13.2 -14) and are sinful with food…I have, on occasion found them to be sinful on their own! Your favorite wine merchant can assist you in finding the regions that produce them.
Learn more at www.eddieosterland.com
Enjoy the rest of your summer! Cheers! Eddie - America's First Master Sommelier
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