Snapshots of some of my recent events include:

An intimate gathering held for ten Unisys and Wells Fargo executives for cocktails, appetizers and networking. Held at the San Francisco Grand Hyatt, with beautiful views of the Bay, the event lasted approximately four hours. Five different California wines, representing different regions and price points, were paired with appetizers. An intro to California wines and food pairing were discussed. Each wine was then introduced with stories about the producer, grape, region and pointers for storing and serving wine.

A medium-sized networking group of 50 Irish executives learns about wine savvy for business. A sparkling wine was poured at the reception and networking hour and then four wines were tasted and discussed during my presentation. It was held at the South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco with water views. The main presentation was on wine etiquette for business and other topics covered included stemware, decanting and rising alcohol levels in wine. A wine producer was also invited from a neighboring vineyard in Sonoma to speak about his wines.

A multi-course, formal dinner with paired wines for more than 200 Deloitte & Touche executives at chic New York Italian restaurant Del Posto. Wines for each course were selected by me and wine educator Michael Green to pair with each dish and each wine represented a different trend in Italian winemaking. A New World-inspired Tuscan wine was tasted against a classic Chianti, which was brought out with its identity concealed to stimulate conversation. A short introduction to Italy and its wines preceded the dinner and each wine was presented as a new chapter in Italian winemaking.

“Your presentation was informative and enthusiastic. Everyone was pleasantly surprised that the less expensive wine was favored by many. Our younger attorneys came away being less intimidated about wines in general.” Kathy Hinkle, Manager, Legal Recruiting, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Redwood Shores, California

“With your help we raised more than $308,000 in support of crucial research and patient-family programs at the Hutchinson Center.” Rachel Kaber, Event Director, Premier Chefs Dinner, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle