Tour the World in a Basket: A Food and Wine Pairing Experience

So I created my first Zin Diva wine basket as a contribution to a charity fundraiser at work. Our office designs several baskets for sale at our silent auction open to the workforce. Word on the street is that our office makes THE best baskets out of ALL the offices, so I had to live up to the hype.

I selected food and accessory items first and then paired scrumptious, accessible wines to the selected food items, choosing wines from six different countries. This basket set has something for everyone including bubbly, dry, sweet, red, and white wines; savory foods; chocolates; service accessories; a wine journal; and wine and food pairing recommendations, below. The basket would make a great gift or be a perfect jumping off point for your own wine cocktail party.

 

Wines

Cava, a fruity sparkling Wine from Spain

Vouvray, an off-dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France

Sauvignon Blanc, a dry, mouth-watering white wine from Marlborough, New Zealand

Chianti Colli Senesi, a dry Sangiovese blend from the Tuscany region of Italy

Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry red wine from the Margaret River in Western Australia

Ruby Port, a sweet, fortified, fruity red wine from Portugal

 

Savory Foods

Artichoke Lemon Spread (Spread on Black Pepper Crostini & Pair with NZ Sauvignon Blanc)

Sundried Tomato Pesto (Spread on Garlic & Parsley Crostini & Pair with Italian Chianti Colli Senesi)

Black Pepper Crostini

Garlic and Parsley Crostini

Cheddar Cheese Twists with a Touch of Cayenne (Pair with Australian Cabernet Sauvignon)

 

Chocolates

85% Cocoa Lindt Dark Chocolate (Pair with Portugal Ruby Port & Try with Cabernet if desired)

70% Cocoa Lindt Dark Chocolate with Toasted Nuts (Pair with Portugal Ruby Port)

24 Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles with Smooth Filling (Pair with Portugal Ruby Port)

 

Service Accessories

2 Sets of Cocktail Napkins: Noel/Joy & Holiday Star

Decorative Glass Wine Stopper

4 Stemless Wine Glasses with Fun Wine Sayings

 

To Cherish the Memories and Discover More about the World of Wine

Wine Journal by Hugh Johnson, one of the world’s preeminent wine authors

 

The Zin Diva, LLC: Sharing Passion for Food and Wine
Elizabeth Taylor, Certified Specialist of Wine & Level 1 Sommelier
www.zindiva.com  703-249-WINE (9463)
Twitter: @Zin_Diva www.facebook.com/TheZinDiva  Beth.Taylor@ZinDiva.com

Creating fun, passion-filled wine events that bring people together

Musings on Company Philosophy… and Putting the “Fun” First in The Zin Diva!

I’ve been working this week to develop my company philosophy and integrate it throughout my website. While developing a core purpose and core values sounded rather abstract to me, I’ve actually really enjoyed seeing how my website and “elevator speech” are evolving based on selling my core purpose of “fun” instead of my Sommelier and wine education services.

So, here’s The Zin Diva’s core purpose: To create fun, passion-filled wine events that bring people together. While this has long been my objective, my website and 30-second elevator speech didn’t reflect that. In fact, peoples’ eyes glaze over when I say I provide “Sommelier and Wine Education Services for your Parties and Events.” Yawn… And then they ask what Sommelier means, and I say a fancy French word for wine steward. But we never really got down to the core of my business model of creating fun, passion-filled wine events that bring people together. Instead of burying the fun deep into conversation, I am now seeking to promote the “fun” up-front.

So here is my new approach and elevator speech: The Zin Diva creates fun, passion-filled wine events that bring people together. We strive to make wine fun and approachable while providing the amount of wine education that you and your guests desire.

I’ve also established the core values for The Zin Diva, so that they can guide us as we plan events, serve guests, hire help, and market ourselves. As we grow, the core values should remain constant.

So, here are The Zin Diva’s Core Values:

• Passion
• Warmth
• Authenticity
• Diversity
• Rewarding Relationships

And in summary, here’s a look at how I’m promoting The Zin Diva now:

We plan and host fun, passion-filled wine events for Northern Virginia, Maryland, and the Washington, DC Metro area including locations up to 1.5 hours away from Alexandria, Virginia. Ask us about planning a fun wine event for your group by contacting The Zin Diva at beth.taylor@zindiva.com or 703-249-WINE.

Cheers to having fun!

May I Offer You a Glass of Bubbly?

“May I offer you a glass of bubbly this evening?” the sommelier asks.

You accept and are surprised that this sparkling wine is dry yet crisp and fruity. “What is this? I really like it,” you ask.

“It’s Cava from Spain,” the sommelier says. “Cava is typically fruit-forward and is made just like Champagne but from different grapes. I love starting an event with Cava because it’s so refreshing.”

You mingle with the other guests while tasting five more intriguing wines and nibbling on cheese and charcuterie. By the end of the evening, you discover a couple of new wines you really like and know where to find them.

You’re also thrilled that your favorite charity just received a lot of donations by featuring The Zin Diva, LLC, for tonight’s wine tasting fundraiser.

Based on actual events