Wine for Life Home Page

Steve hosts wine tastings for corporate and private groups every week. The format varies depending upon the group but all involve learning a little about wine while having a lot of fun. Call 905-880-7183 or email steve@stevethurlow.com to explore what might be done for your group.

There is no fixed format for the bridal showers I have performed at in the past; essentially I select a number of wines usually around 6 with some theme in mind. These are paired with the food being served at the event. I lead a tasting of each wine before they go on general service. However I am open to whatever the host might have in mind.

For example, at the most recent event, the couple were to honeymoon in Campania, Italy. So I selected 6 wines typical of that region that were available in Toronto.

We tasted each wine in turn starting with the crisp whites and ending with the full bodied reds with an appetizer matched to each wine served after we had initially tasted each one as a group. It took about 120 minutes to get through all and serve the food and I talked for about 5-10 mins. about each wine to the group allowing for general conversation between each wine during which time I circulated and answered guests questions about all manner of wine related matters.

I selected the wines and the host purchased them from LCBO and returned unused wine after the event. They arranged the catering however I worked with the chef in designing 6 appetizers for the wines prior to the event. I was at the event for about 3 hours.

Example Corporate Group Event: Office party - Wine and Chocolate

There is no fixed format for an office wine tasting.... we just do a little thinking while drinking, on this occasion tasting red wine with chocolate, both of which are indulgent. The secret to success is choosing the right wine and the right chocolate.

Partners and staff at a lawyers office in Toronto met after work in the boardroom. We sampled six of the current best value red wines in the market with 2 versions of dark chocolate and learnt a little about wine acidity and wine tannin. We had some fun time together for about 90 mins until everyone left to jump on the TTC.

I selected the red wines and the office purchased them from LCBO and returned unused wine after the event. I brought the chocolate and they arranged for some appetizers and white wine to get the party rolling while everyone gathered.