Wines get increased focus during holidays
HAMPSHIRE -- Katie Mathson transports people to France, Argentina, Chile and even Italy -- via their taste buds.
Mathson, an independent wine consultant, recently took her client team and loyal customers on an oenological tour of some of the finest boutique wineries in the world. The Hampshire-based consultant offered samples of wines offered by The Traveling Vineyard.
Just in time for the holiday season, Mathson is introducing new wines being offered through The Traveling Vineyard.
Mathson also provides a few ideas for wines that complement holiday cooking.
"I recommend Beaujolais for Thanksgiving," said Mathson, who has been marketing wines for the company since 2006.
"It's a jammy, fruity wine that goes with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce."
Mathson places great emphasis on pairing a good glass of wine with the type of food that will bring out the wine's best flavors. Going beyond the basic white wine with white meat, red wine with red meat, Mathson attempts to show her clients why a particular wine complements certain foods such as chocolate but wouldn't taste as good with another type of food such as a salty prosciutto.
Her background is in education, spending eight years as a kindergarten teacher and another four years in special education. She said the experience lends itself to training her team and to sharing information with her clients about wines.
The Traveling Vineyard offers a unique product to customers in that the wines come from exclusive boutique vineyards, Mathson said. Unless you happen to be visiting Chile or Argentina, you can't get the wine anywhere else but The Traveling Vineyard, she said. The wine fetches a dual market because "wine appeals to both men and women," she said.
While she usually conducts about six wine tasting shows per month, she said, October through December is always a busy time in her business. She said she encourages her clients to host large shows.
"I usually see between 13 to 18 people at each party," she said. "Because of the economy, I encourage big parties for the host to get the most benefit."