A beautiful evening of wine tasting
Have you ever wondered why a glass of wine tastes more acidic with one pairing and more sweet with another? Does red wine always go with cheeses? On November 4th, we all learned how and why to pair certain wines with different dishes. Tracy Waldron, owner of the Virginia Wine and Spirits Academy, came to our farm for an amazing and educational evening. We sampled four wines from 53rd Winery, which is in Louisa, tasting how the flavors changed with what we ate. Sampling from a small plate of a lemon slice, mushrooms, different cheeses and salt allowed us to experience the wines changing their body and flavors, teaching us why to make certain pairings of wines with meals. Tracy made this fun and easy to understand for the wine enjoyer. We then had a wonderfully prepared meal by Catering by Candice of meats from our farm, a grilled pork chop, a coffee rubbed tri-tip and a five spice pulled pork slider with an Asian slaw, and a beautiful and tasty grazing table. We also gave a guided horseback tour of our farm before the event.
Enjoy some pictures of this wonderful evening and stay tuned for future events on our farm. Learn more about Tracy Waldron below the pictures.
We have had the good fortune of knowing Tracy since we bought our first farm in Hanover county and boarded and cared for her retired horse Alley-Oop.
from Tracy’s bio-
Tracy Waldron is a wine, spirits, sake, and hospitality expert, with more than 20 years’ experience in all aspects of the hospitality and beverage trade. She is one of approximately 9,500 people worldwide to have ever attained the prestigious WSET Diploma in Wines & Spirits. WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) is the only internationally recognized credential in the beverage industry, and is considered the “gold standard” for beverage education worldwide.
She is one of only a few hundred WSET Certified Wine and Spirits Educators in the US, as well as a Certified Sake Professional by the Japanese Sake Education Council.
Tracy spent more than a decade in Napa Valley, where she worked as a Sommelier for a Michelin-starred restaurant; was Director of Sales, Marketing and Hospitality for an iconic luxury winery; and eventually began making wine for her own label, Analog Wine Co. She then traveled extensively throughout many of the wine, spirits, and sake regions of the world as Director of a Manhattan-based import and distribution company.
In 2016, Tracy turned her attention exclusively to educating the next generation of industry leaders. As the owner of the Virginia Wine & Spirits Academy and holder of multiple beverage educator certifications, she builds entertaining seminars for corporations and individual enthusiasts, and teaches the prestigious Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and Wine Scholar Guild professional certifications. She is known for her ability to educate both colleagues and consumers with passion and a complete lack of pretense.