NEW! from Swirl Events

FLAVOR SCHOOL -

CREATE, EAT, DRINK!

 

AND

In collaboration with Hot Pot Culinary Events, Swirl Events has launched Flavor School™, an interactive cooking and wine tasting package.

Turn your next team building or dinner party into something truly unique.

Through a dynamic lesson, guests learn the fundamentals of cooking the event's themed dish and how to taste wine. They also explore the flavor principles of pairing food and wine. Then, it's time to get hands-on! Guests rotate through a series of "Flavor Stations," as they cook up their own creative versions of the highlighted dish. 

Each Flavor Station is focused on a distinct flavor profile - from Earthy to Spicy to Sweet - and is equipped with a set of ingredients highlighting the Station's unique flavor profile, like aged cheeses and gourmet mushrooms at the Earthy Station. Guests taste test through the selection of wines at each station and figure out which one brings out the best in their new creation and why.

What's included:
• Wine
• All kitchen equipment (ovens, etc)
• Team of chef instructors and wine experts
• Food ingredients
• Glassware, plates, napkins
• Set-up and clean-up
Location: Flavor School events can be held anywhere - at your office, in your home, a bar, a restaurant, or raw space. No kitchen or refreigeration equipment needed. We can also help you locate a venue.
Cost: Flavor School events start at $150/person (incl. tax + gratuity).
Contact: Info@SwirlEvents.com or call 917.463.3994 for more information and to book your Flavor School event.



Roses for the Anti-Rose Fan

By this point, you’ve heard the merits of rose wine ad nauseum, whether from your friendly neighborhood wine writer, wine shop worker or pastor. And although I’m an advocate for drinking rose, even year-round, it’s especially worth a refresher now since summer has (finally) defrosted the last of the ice off my parka and I’m braving the occasional skirt.

Underlying the case for rose is how incredibly food-friendly it is. This also is the reason I could be the spokesperson for adding rose to your drinking repertoire regardless of the season.

Generally, rose has the “light” crispness of a white wine. It could be as dry as a saltlick or off-dry. And it has the flavor kick of a red, making it an easy palate pleaser. If you haven’t gotten over the “this-must-be-sickly-sweet-because-it’s-pink-and-furthermore-I-don’t-drink-pink-wine-because-it’s-frou-frou” attitude, then please, get over it. Soon. Don’t make me bring my full 100 pounds of intimidation over there and make you try it.

This isn’t the commercially manufactured pink-colored blend of red and white plonk. I’m talking about rose made either through the “saignee” or bleeding method, wherein some of the pink juice of a wine is run off early and then fermented, or by an abbreviated red wine production.

Ultimately, the best argument for drinking rose is that it’s simply pleasant. It’s the kind of wine that puts a smile on your face as you drink it. Maybe there isn’t a cause-and-effect relationship between rose and good spirits, but there is a correlation in that we tend to drink rose in the merriest of circumstances: picnics, barbecues, parties, sunny sidewalk cafes.

Regardless of where you drink it and whether or not you’re a fellow rose diehard, try one of my new favorites below. Maybe you’ll even stash a few bottles for autumn.


2009 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, South Africa. The taste of homemade strawberry preserves is unmistakable and adds to the soft and lingering finish.


2008 Bonterra Rose, Mendocino County, Calif. Almost fizzy on the first sip. A surprising note of crisp green apple is followed by a lovely strawberry shortcake-like finish.


2009 Torbreck Saignee Rose, Barossa Valley, Australia. A pleasantly different style of rose with a slightly creamy palate due to the six months spent in oak. It doesn’t fall into the super juicy and fruity category, but instead is almost savory.


2009 Cline Mourvedre Rose, Contra Costa County, Calif. Refreshing with a depth uncommon in most roses. Layers of spice complement dark plum flavors that yield a rose red-wine-only drinkers will eat up.


2009 Montes Cherub Rose of Syrah, Colchagua Valley, Chile. This picnic-perfect rose bursts with juicy berry and orange peel flavors.

Office Holiday Party Idea in NYC

A Wine Tasting Office Holiday Party

A SWIRL WINE TASTING is a festive, fun and elegant idea for Corporate Holiday Parties from 8 to 600 guests. A wine tasting is a great way to add a theme to your holiday party. The best part of all, you don't have to lift a finger - at Swirl, we'll make your entertaining effortless. We work with you to fit your budget, allowing you to still celebrate with style. Previous clients include Simpson Thacher, McKinsey, BCG, JPMorgan Chase and many other firms of various sizes and industries.

Call 917.463.3994 or Email Us at Info@SwirlEvents.com

We provide EVERYTHING for your party including:

• Amazing wine
• Gourmet chocolate and cheese pairings
• Elegant stemware and all the party essentials (plates, trays, silverware, etc.)
• Our team of professionally-trained, dynamic Swirl wine experts.
• We can come to you OR help you locate the perfect venue.

Please help spread the word and send this to your colleagues who plan your team or company holiday party.

Enjoyed the Cupcake & Wine Pairings???

Thursday, August 13th marked Swirl Events' 2nd Cupcake & Wine Tasting event at AVEvents. Partner Nine Cakes made gorgeous and utterly delicious mini cupcakes in six different flavors.

Check out all the photos here

And see if you made it into our videos of the night right here on the blog (scroll down)

The favorite cupcake of the night? Consensus was that it's a toss-up between the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting and the Dark Chocolate Cake with Mayan Chocolate Frosting. What do you think? Drop in your vote for the favorite below in the comment section. The favorite wine of the evening seemed to be the Cerdon-Bugey sparkling rose from Lingot Martin that paired with the Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Vanilla Bean frosting - a classic combo.

Here are all the pairings (see below for where to buy):

Station 1: (first station as you entered, the rest went counter clockwise):
Coconut Cream Cupcake with Coconut Cream Cheese with Brisebarre Sparkling Vouvray$15*
AND
Carrot Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting with the Defesa White ~$10 (a)

Station 2:
Orange Blossom Cupcake with Orange Blossom Frosting with Crios Torrontes $17*

Station 3:
Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Vanilla Bean Frosting with Cerdon-Bugey sparkling rose $20*

Station 4:
Red Velvet Cupcake with Raspberry Frosting with Angove Shiraz/Viognier $13 (b)

Station 5:
Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Mayan Chocolate Frosting with Esporao Red Reserve ~$18 (a)

* = Find it at Frankly Wines in Tribeca or www.franklywines.com
a = CALL FOR AVAILABILITY - 67 Wine & Spirits, Beacon Wines, Wine Therapy, Alphabet City Wine Co., Garnet Wines, PJ Wines, Sea Grape
b = www.southernwines.com

Cute Wine Themed Bridal Favors from Gumdrop Cookie Shop (of the Un-Cheesy Variety)

How adorable is this sugar cookie? And it tastes even better. People often ask me for recommendations for wine-themed favors for their wedding or bridal shower. I sadly have to suggest the usual wine stoppers or personalized wine bottles. There's nothing wrong with those options (in fact, they're quite cute), but it's been done before. Try these personalized "couture" cookies from Gumdrop Cookie Shop instead. They can be customized with whatever design or photo you want. This one is perfect for a wine aficionado's bridal shower.

The Best Wine Bags

If you're like me, you're buying more organic produce, carrying your groceries in canvas bags, and buying biodynamic or organic wine. And this summer, I'm carting my organic bottles in a fair-trade, re-usable and oh-so-chic woven gift bags from Zola. This is my favorite because it adds that extra touch when you're giving someone a bottle of wine when coming over for dinner or a birthday. It also gives the recipient the hint that they don't have to open your bottle immediately, which is kinda what happens when you plop it on their counter sans giftbag. And for $3.50, you can afford to buy a dozen to have on-hand for impromptu dinner invites, which we hope you have plenty of...

Top Chef in Your Own Living Room - The Celebrity Chef Game

It's not a secret, I've always wanted to be on Top Chef or the Food Network. The only issue is that I don't cook...well, that is. I'd like to shout my own catchphrase ala Rachael Ray and EVOO while smiling at the camera . So until the Food Network takes me up on my fabulous idea to air wine segments (I'm out here waiting, with reel in hand, Food Network!) I'll get my satisfaction with this fantastic at-home game. Celebrity Chef! The Game is the perfect way to live out your culinary dreams. It's like a combo of Cranium and Top Chef - both of which I love. Celebrity Chef! is a board game created for people passionate about food and have crushes on chefs (shout out to Tom Colicchio and his wife expecting their 2nd kid!)

The object of the game is to become a Celebrity Chef,. You have to in over fans and achieve milestones like cookbook deals, television shows, own restaurant empires, get love from the press, and get the most coveted cendorsements. The player with the most points wins the game and is crowned the Celebrity Chef.

Check it out for your next game night as a prelude to the Top Chef Masters finale

celebritychefthegame.com

Confident Entertaining with the Purcell Sisters

I'm so jealous of this duo - what I wouldn't give to throw fabulous parties with my sisters and then publish our secrets in a fabulous book. That's just what Lauren and Anne Purcell have done in their book "Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! East Hors D'oeuvres, Delicious Drinks and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style." You can get the Sisters' Secrets to Confident Entertaining here, just in time for all the summer parties you promised to throw.

My favorite party theme from their book is the "Map-Happy Evening for Anyone Who's Been Everywhere." Here's how it works: Every traveller has a travel tale/disaster/triumphant just-happened-to-stumble-upon-it discovery to share and this party brings out the stories as a way to inspire brilliant, laughter-filled conversation among the best of friends or guests who just met. All you need for this party are an oversized world map and plenty of pushpins to tempt guests to "mark their spots." Instead of lamely asking each other "So, where are you from?" they'll be exclaiming, "Wow, you've been there?!"

It's an easy entertaining theme but works so well with wine. Invite guests to bring a bottle from a country they've visited to go with the theme. And there you go - party planned, easy-peasy.

Here's a favorite recipe from the Purcell Sisters that works well with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc:

Cucumber Goat Cheese Spread -This spread is a hit even with guests who think they don’t like goat cheese. Tarragon’s subtle hint of licorice gives the spread an interesting flavor that people invariably ask about.

Ingredients

1 hothouse (seedless) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

8 ounces soft mild goat cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

salt

Directions

In a food processor, purée 1 cup of the cucumber with the goat cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice until almost smooth.

In a bowl, stir together the goat-cheese mixture, remaining cucumber, tarragon, 1 tablespoon of onion, and the pepper. Add salt to taste.

Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of onion and serve with slices of soft, crusty bread.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups of spread.

Make-Ahead Factor:The spread may be made 2 days ahead and kept covered and refrigerated. Let it soften and stir before serving.