Fork and Cork wine pairing events would be structured to compare as many as six red wines with a prime rib or duck dinner. Or perhaps six whites with a seafood entrée. Perhaps a group of whites over brunch. Various wine tastings and pairings will be listed on the website and members can indicate their interest in each. When a sufficient number or readers show interest, an event will be scheduled. The popularity of the various events will drive the direction of the events. All tastings/pairings/dinners will be indoor set-down events, and each wine presented will be poured into a separate wine appropriate glass so that the wines can be cross-tasted.
Fork and Cork will be more focused on food AND wine, and the pairings that bring the two together. These events will be sit-down indoor events that will focus on the wine and food. The focus will be on us, the consumers. They will not be sales events. We will not limit the wine selections to wines that need to be sold. We will not inundate our participants with technical wine data and trivia, but rather offer tips on simply enjoying the foods and the wines. The theme of the tasting will be driven by what our participants indicate they would like to taste and enjoy. If there is interest in tasting a single group of wines, such Gigondas, or Pinot Noir, then that’s what we will do. The direction of this group will be consumer driven rather than wholesaler or retailer driven.
We all have favorite entrees that beg for the best possible wine pairing. I know I have many. Presenting bite size portions of a selected offering taste testing for the best pairing amount several worthy wines would afford us the opportunity to find new and unexpected options!
And although we will vary the number of wines tasted in these events, we do not expect to exceed six wines. Anything beyond that is plain old “quaffing”.
Although the pricing is expected to be somewhat more than typical, local, wine tastings, I don’t expect them to be extravagant monetarily. The participants, through their attendance and input, will hold sway over the price bar which will be tied to the price of the wines selected, the cost of any food accompaniment and facilities expenses. As we move forward, we hope to develop partnership relationships with local wine retailers to purchase through them in case quantities only, at reduced pricing. This could serve to redirect some of the wine purchasing that is now being widely transacted over the internet to local vendors.