by Tory Davis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- It’s hard to speak pretentiously about terroir with secret sauce dripping down your chin. Los Angeles-based Learn About Wine’s Blind Date tastings pair a variety of respectable reds with beloved In-N-Out Double-Double cheeseburgers (UrbanDaddy.com 1.5.10).
- The tastings are held on assorted Friday nights in a downtown loft and boast 20 one-ounce blind pours. Each night of the series features a different red: merlot, cab, zinfandel, pinot noir and Rhone. Afterwards the wines are revealed so that tasters can ensure they pair the right bottle with their next combo meal.
- But you can’t get fries with that — wine tasting has to retain some level of class!
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Californians, with their own lively vinoculture, know that wine is not just for snobs, and most oenophiles know the scene at the end of the movie Sideways speaks the truth: Wine goes with just about anything, including a hamburger.
- Mainstream consumers are curious about wine, but are often intimidated by the snooty reputation and endless rows of bottles on the shelf. A class that pairs vino with fast food opens the door to massclusivity and welcomes all to swirl and sip.
RESOURCES
- Learn About Wine’s “Blind Date” wine tasting + burgers series, $95 per class, $85 for members.
