Vinology in Ann Arbor has introduced “wine matchmaking” sessions for team-building and breakout fun. The restaurant, bar, and event space that can accommodate groups of varying sizes is offering this activity, which Wine Director Melissa Wilson describes as an experience for Vinology’s corporate-event-package audience.
Wine matchmaking, she explains, involves groups of at least 20 (and likely no more than 50) individually answering a few icebreaker questions that help her determine the types of wines they will be most likely to appreciate. “They’re telling me what kind of taste profile they have,” Wilson explains. “Do they like something big and bold or something luscious or sweet or earthy? It really helps me dial in to what it is they enjoy as a person. The whole point is helping people understand what they like best.”
It’s not unusual for the average wine drinker to feel daunted when confronted by a wine list, she notes, and assisting in identifying the types of wines that are most suited to their tastes can allay that.
During the wine matchmaking session, Wilson comes up with four to six wine suggestions and finds that participants tend to especially like about half of them. “On maybe two or three, I pushed outside their boundaries too much,” she says.
Programs vary in length, lasting longer for a larger group than for smaller gatherings. Besides teaching them more about wine varietals, these sessions give participants an opportunity to get to know each other better and bond.
Cost is about $35 per person, with the option to add appetizers and/or dinner to the wine matchmaking service. Those arranging the event might choose to include an extra-special touch: service with a sword. Wilson recently began offering the historic practice of using a saber to open wines in the tradition of Napoleon’s army in the late 1700s.
“It’s something that used to be done by cavalry officers,” she says. “Now sommeliers do it … this is a way to make a big celebratory moment special.”
