Sipping with Class: Tips from CI’s “Wine Down” Happy Hour

Corporate Ink’s latest team bonding event involved wine, cheese and a whole lot of laughs. Check out some tips on sipping with class from your favorite (brand new) wine connoisseurs.  

Throughout the pandemic, Corporate Ink has found fun new ways to have fun and keep our team close. From trivia games to scavenger hunts, we’ve managed to make lemonade during some pretty isolating times. Our favorite team bonding event yet was unanimously our virtual wine tasting with In Good Taste – and since we’re all now self-proclaimed wine snobs, we’d love to share some tips for you to sip with class.

Prepare an Instagram-worthy Cheeseboard

When hosting a “wine down” happy hour – whether its virtual, in person or by yourself – it’s crucial to have snacks on hand that will compliment your wine experience. A cheeseboard is the perfect option.

Why? According to the National Institutes of Health, food and drink that sit on opposite ends of the spectrum of taste often create a pleasant taste sensation, triggering a good match in the mind. Cheese is fatty, wine is sharp. These opposites attract to create a match made in heaven.

Furthermore, a study conducted by ChemoSens in France found that cheese improved the perception of fruit aromas, reduced the duration of astringency of red wines, and heightened the taste of white wine.

Whatever the reason, a proper “wine down” is elevated with a great cheeseboard. Find out more on how to make an epic cheeseboard from In Good Taste – and if you’d rather order one and you’re local to Boston, check out @BoardsbyMo on Instagram.

Wine Taste like a Pro

When it comes to tasting wine, there’s so much more than what meets the…tongue. Our virtual tasting expert explained the five essential steps:

• See: Look at clarity and color. A good wine will be clear. The color will tell you the climate in the region where the wine is from. Wines from cooler regions tend to be paler in color, whereas warmer regions have a more intense color.
• Swirl: Swirling the wine aerates the wine and opens up the aromas — making smells more robust and easier to identify.
• Smell: The nose can smell over 2,000 different aromas. Try out identifying the basic ones.
• Sip: The proper way is to avoid gulping, chugging and smacking. Slowly take a small amount of wine in your mouth and swish it around so it meets every area of the tongue.
• Savor: Indulge in the experience that you have with wine as the lingering aromas, texture and complexity stay on your tongue and in the back of your throat.

Reflect and Discuss the Experience

Our favorite part of our wine tasting was the ability to communicate and connect on our preferences, experiences and memories. Each wine triggered certain emotions in different people, each brought back a memory, each seemed like “the perfect wine to have” for a certain scenario.

The Chardonnay I tried instantly made me think of my mom. It brought me back to summer nights on Federal Hill in Providence, eating Italian food and listening to the Frank Sinatra-impersonating band. The Rosé was the perfect choice for an outdoors picnic on a cool but sunny day, said Emma.

Sharing our opinions and nostalgic memories – or even made-up daydreams – around wine was entertaining, interesting and personal. During your next “wine down”, make sure to probe friends (or even yourself) with thought-provoking questions such as, “How would I describe this wine?” or “What emotion does this wine evoke in you?”

The Final Question: Wine vs. Bourbon, Greg?

According to CI’s president, Greg Hakim – a bourbon lover — there’s still no competition. But Corporate Ink had such a great time during this happy hour for many reasons. We tasted, ate, connected and truly “wined down” after a productive week. Even better, we now have the tips and tools to be the wine connoisseurs we always hoped we’d become!

Virtual activities are very important to us as we continue to work remotely and social distance – especially as we grow and add new members to our team. Thanks to technology (and good wine), we’re able to get to know our new colleagues as if nothing changed.

If you’re interested in becoming part of the team, get to know us more here.