Top 5 Reasons to Become a Wine Consultant

Mom's are you wondering how becoming a wine consultant can really benefit you?

5. Get away from your family - Hey, we all need alone time, some more than others. After a week of cooking, cleaning, the never, ever, ever ending laundry, you just get fed up. Get out of the house, meet new people, and you just might find you actually like your family more than you thought!

4. Learn new skills, and I don't mean how to eat and change a diaper at the same time - There is a whole world of possibilities out your front door that don't involve always having a change of clothes with you in case of "accidents." (Although with wine, that can still come in handy!)

3. You get to play dress up - And it doesn't involve a boa and plastic see thru chunky heels, well, unless you really want it to. Can you imagine getting a shower, putting on makeup and nice clothes? And all on the same day? Score!

2. Travel around the world for free - It's business and it's FREE, your husband can't say no!

1. Drink on the job - Aww hell yea. And you get paid to do it!

Wine Tasting Party Themes

If you are like me and you throw numerous wine parties throughout the year, sometimes you just want to mix it up a little. Creating a wine theme can be fun and educational, especially for those "wine snobs" that think they know everything.

Blind Wine Tasting - A blind tasting can be extrememly fun for beginners and the serious wine connoisseur. Have each guest write down which grape the wine is made from, which region it's made in, and how much they think the wine costs.

Regional Wine Tasting - Straight forward but fun nonetheless! Each guest brings their favorite wine from whichever region of the world you have chosen.

Vertical Wine Tasting - A vertical wine tasting is where you try wines made from the same grape but grown in different countries or regions. See if you can taste the difference in a Chardonnay from California and one from Italy.

Dessert Wine Tasting - A dessert wine tasting can be done one of two different ways. You can either have just dessert wines, or pair any type of wine with different dessert foods. Either way, you'll enjoy one sweet evening!

Wine and Chocolate Tasting - Our two favorite things in the world! Just make sure your wine is sweeter than your chocolate and you are good to go.

Wine and Cigar Tasting - Perfect tasting for the manly wine drinkers. Ports are especially excellent with cigars.

Money and Wine Tasting - This one is a blast, especially with the wine snob crowd. Give each guest two glasses with the same wine. Tell them two different prices, say one is $7.99 and one is $29.99, ask them which they like better. They might get a little testy when you tell them they are the same wine and there should be no difference in taste, but it's interesting to see if people "prefer" the cheap wine or the expensive.

Wine and Junk Food Tasting - Which wines go best with your favorite potato chips? burgers? twinkies? popcorn?

Green Wine Tasting - Lots of wine makers are going green to help the environment and create a better grape, so give them a try!

Serving wine at the right temperature, it's personal now

I remember my first glass of red wine. I was at a restaurant for a Christmas party of a friend in college. The owners convinced me to try a glass as I wasn't a big drinker, probably the only college student at the time that could claim so. The warm liquid did not suit my palate at the time, little did I know that 10 years later I would rather have wine than water. Back then I was accustomed to drinking things at one of two temperatures, scolding hot, or ice cold.

Personal taste, common sense and custom will play a role in what temperature you prefer your wine, but there are some guidelines to help you get started. In the US most consumers prefer ice water while our British counterparts enjoy their water at room temperature. In the end, the right temperature is the one that makes the wine taste it's best to you.

Professionals say to keep most sparkling, white and rose wines between 45-50 degrees. Most refrigerators are set around 40 degrees, so if your wine has been in the fridge for awhile, it might be a good idea to let it warm up for 20-30 minutes before pouring a glass. Most reds will be enjoyed between 60-65 degrees. People refer to serving red wine at "room temperature", but I know they haven't been in my room when discussing this, since I like to keep the thermometer at about 78 degrees. If your home is warm like mine, you might want to pop your red wine into the fridge for 20-30 minutes to bring the temperature down.

Testing wine is my favorite part about learning, so it's fun to take a new, or favorite wine and try it at different temperatures to see where you feel the wine is best balanced. Don't be afraid to be different, I know plenty of wine drinkers that prefer their glass of red with a single ice cube resting in it. While I wouldn't recommend it, I'm certainly not going to try to take their enjoyment away from them.