***Wine Tour to Portugal

 Beckett on Wine will host a tour to Argentina in April 2009 and to Portugal in May 2009. Please Contact Me for full details.

***Wine Education

 Beckett on Wine will tailor educational seminars to the particular needs of an individual looking for private tutoring, for small groups, or for large audiences. Some examples include:

· Introduction to wine

The technical component starts with the vine and its parts as they relate to soil, weather/climate, and the influence of man. The hand’s on portion relates to colour, smell, feel, and taste firstly of the components of wine such as tannin, acid, fruit, and alcohol and secondly to a formal organoleptic analysis of various wines.

· Understanding Grape varietals

Horizontal explorations comprise a wine tasting around a single grape varietal such as Shiraz with quality examples from those areas of the world where excellent Shiraz is made.

Vertical explorations comprise a wine tasting around a single wine such as Amarone from a single producer with quality examples from various different years.

Checkerboard explorations comprise a wine tasting around a selection of the different grape varietals which dominate current consumption trends such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Semillon or Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sangiovese, and Pinot Noir.  

Anything but explorations comprise a wine tasting of the lesser known grape varietals such as Viognier, Nero d’Avola, Malbec, Carmenere, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer.

· Special features

Explore your appreciation of the role of tannin at different levels in various wines.

Explore your appreciation of the effect of age and vintage of different wines.

Design your own wine appreciation learning plan. 

***Wine Cellar Design

 Beckett on Wine will provide:

· Advice regarding cellar requirements for investment grade wines, for rare wines requiring long term cellaring, and for wines needing only short term cellaring;

· Guidance on how to build the inventory of wines in your wine cellar;

· An onsite review of your wine cellar with detailed recommendations respecting temperature, humidity, vibration, light, odour, and cost during wine cellar construction or rehabilitation;

· Direction as to cellar management systems;

· Help on how to store wines when you might not have a cellar;

· Assistance in determining what you really like to drink and wish to have in your cellar; and

· Help finding those special bottles of wines consumed on honeymoons, bottles for special birthdays, and other special cellar stocking requests. 

***Wine Appraisals

· Valuation of individual bottles for Revenue Canada purposes;

· Determining value where a wine cellar must be sold or split due to inheritance or legal settlement;

· Establishing reasonable value of a bottle of wine for a charitable donation; and

· Valuation of a wine cellar for insurance purposes.  

***Special Vintage Wines

 Beckett on Wine will assist you in locating and purchasing that special bottle of wine you want for a:

· Birthday;

· Anniversary;

· Special celebration;

· Valentine’s Day;

· Completion of a wine collection; and

· Gift to a business colleague or honoured friend.  

***Speaker

 Tom Beckett is an accomplished speaker, knowledgeable about wine, and available to speak, to conduct a wine tasting, or to lead a wine and cooking demonstration at:

· Conferences;

· Dinners;

· Fund Raisers; and

· Private Parties. 

***Services for Restaurants and Bars

 Beckett on Wine provides:

· Training sessions for sommeliers and wait staff;

· Advice on the pairing of the wine list to the menu;

· Assistance in importation of wines as long term items on a wine list or as short term special attractions;

· Wine list design; and

· Recommendations on wine service. 

***Evaluation of Home Made Wines

 Beckett on Wine can assist you in improving the quality of your home made wine through:

· Formal organoleptic evaluation using the Davis Scale developed at the University of California to show how your wine rates against commercial wines on elements such as appearance, bouquet, body, flavour, and aftertaste;

· Assistance in improving your wine by using techniques employed by commercial wine makers adapted for the home;

· Determining the style of wine you want to drink with a comparison to that which you make; and

· Helpful hints on equipment, process, bottling, cellaring, and serving.