This 3.5 hour corks and cuisines session takes exploring food and wine pairing one step further, to get you ready for your next restaurant experience and confident in opening that wine list, in the comfort of your own home. We'll start at the beginning - understanding how you get from grape to glass, together explore common terms used with wine and what to look for when choosing wine for your meal. We may explore wines you see on every wine list, or introduce completely new ones that'll take you by surprise. We'll have 5 cold and hot tasting courses, all home-made around a particular theme. Each of these courses will be paired to a wine, curated to your preferences. We'll use an interactive tasting card for each wine and together go through where they're from, what influences the flavours and how the food impacts the taste. This corks and cuisine experience includes: - Canapes - 3 tasting-size courses - Dessert or cheese - Optional extra dessert / cheese course - 1 wine per course Theme options include: 1) Exploring one... Either we'll explore one grape (Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir), one style (rose around the world) or one country/area (Italy, South Africa, Mediterranean). We will look at the different expressions of these grapes and styles around the world, or explore the one country of choice, how climate and wine making techniques influence these flavours and styles of wine. Wines will include a sparkling and sweet option. Food options will be made to match the theme. 2) Wine and spice Each course will focus on a different spice - ones you may cook with or find in restaurants - and look at how you would pair that distinct flavour with a particular wine. From pepper to cumin, ginger to chilli and paprika, zaatar and vanilla - all these flavours are things to look out for when pairing your food with wine, and we'll look at this in more detail. 3) Seasonal selection Cooking/eating out often revolves around what's in season, and the outside weather can impact which wines we want to drink. This theme explores foods that have come into season and what wines to pair (think asparagus, courgettes, spring green, lamb) with lighter reds, easy drinking whites, and of course, those roses. If you have a particular theme in mind, we can create a bespoke session around this.
Wine Expert & Sommelier | Bespoke Wine Experiences at Home
Alya, a sommelier with Michelin-star experience, brings fun and interactive wine experiences to your home. With a decade in hospitality and WSET Level 3, she simplifies wine, helps you discover hidden gems, and builds your confidence in choosing and pairing wines. Her goal? Make wine accessible, enjoyable, and meaningful-all while giving back to charity.