On the 7^th February some of the members took part in a ‘Matching Wine & Food for Weddings’ workshop. Some might say this was just an excuse to sample some wine but actually, not only was it a fun evening, we did learn some interesting facts.

1. Director Bernadette was an expert at guessing the right price for the wines albeit she says this is simply due to her preferring cheap wines so found guessing easy – not sure she should say that to clients though
2. We were amazed at how different wines tasted before food and with food, we now know how important it is to match your wine to the clients chosen wedding breakfast menu
3. We realised just because a wine is expensive – doesn’t make it the best wine in terms of taste or suitability to the menu choice
4. When tasting a wine for the first time you are supposed to
   1. Check the appearance, what does it look like? Check the colour and clarity
   2. Stick your nose in and have a good sniff, some of the wine like the 2012 Horgelus, Sauvignon Blanc & Gros Manseng, Gascony, France smelt beautifully light and airy (just like a summer garden)
   3. Think about the taste, is it dry or sweet? What’s the acidity like?
5. And finally do you like it and would you come back for another glass!

The event was kindly hosted by Dominique Douglas of Stylish Events, a UKAWP member and her husband, Dan, at their home in Canary Wharf. Dan cooked some amazing hors d’oeuvres for us to try on the night, the food was so delicious so we all decided having food and wine at their home should be a weekly occurrence for the UKAWP.

 At this interactive workshop we were guided by a professional wine expert, Giles Smith Walker, on what to look for when matching the wine with the wedding menu. His advice was given in a non intimidating way and he seemed quite at home with a bunch of wedding planners 

Our thanks to Paula Broome for taking some lovely pictures on the night and joining in with the sampling!