My First YGOM Consulting Gig!

Hey wine people! I’m beyond excited to share my first wine consulting gig with you. I don’t really think many people know about this new service offering, so I wanted to chronicle my experience to help paint the picture of how I can help elevate your wine game at your next event!

How it Started

Last fall, I relaunched the YGOM website in an effort to really enhance my brand. Five years ago, YGOM started off as a creative outlet for me to learn about wine and capture my journey along the way. I had no idea where this road would lead, but it only ignited my passion and desire for something more. I don’t want YGOM to just be a blog. My dream is to grow it into a profitable business. So, with that being said I started thinking of services that I could offer that were true to my skill set and ultimate goal of making “wine consuming fun and easy” for the everyday wine lover. That’s where the wine consulting leg of YGOM comes in. 

The Opportunity

I kept going to events where the wine selection was let’s just say “not up to par.” Magnum-sized bottles of Yellow Tail and some of your other typical mass produced wines. You could tell that whoever was picking out the wines was doing so very randomly. Even my nail shop that served complimentary wine could use an upgrade. If money was an issue, I knew of plenty affordable wines ($10-$15) that were good for that price point. I saw a fun opportunity to start helping people with the wine selection for their events and even businesses.

What YGOM Consulting Services Offer

I’m not going to lie (we keep it real around these vines), but the road to get my consulting business off the ground has been hard. I’m constantly talking to people every chance that I get and luckily I was able to get some exposure in Voyage Houston last month. I’m blessed to have a very supportive circle around me. Earlier this month, a friend of mine approached me about curating the wine list for a reception she was hosting for about 30-35 people.

Wine List Curation

So, I had her fill out the event questionnaire on my site and we spoke about the vibe of the event, her attendees and their palates, the types of wines she wanted, and of course her budget.

So, here’s what I put together:

• 2018 Smith Story Riesling
• 2016 Landmark Vineyards Pinot Noir
• 2018 Imagery Cabernet Sauvignon

I selected one white and two reds based off the food selection and audience. I knew the attendees were more likely to gravitate towards the reds hence the larger number. I opted for a Riesling because I knew the audience wasn’t going to be hardcore wine drinkers. I also knew that they probably wouldn’t go for a dry white, so I wanted to select something that was a step up from a Moscato. Riesling or Gewürztraminer are a typical gateway away from sweeter wines when you’re trying to build your palate. The Smith Story Riesling is a nice transition white. Not too sweet and not too dry. It’s a nice in-between. Landmark Vineyards makes a really good Pinot, especially for California. I knew I’d need a lighter red to balance out some of the heavier southern inspired dishes. Lastly, I selected a Cab because it’s more of a signature red that you can never go wrong serving. Imagery Estate Winery is one of my favorites. Their Cab is so smooth and balanced with dark red fruits and oak.

Personalized Menu

From there, I wanted to put together a customized wine menu for the attendees. I worked with my client to make sure the design matched the theme of the party, which happened to be the The Color Purple Musical.

Wine Display Design

YGOM is all about creating an experience! I’m not just setting up a bucket of ice with wine and leaving. Presentation is key! I found this really cute acacia wood serving tray for the wine display. One of the infamous scenes from The Color Purple is when Cellie and Nettie are in the field of purple flowers playing the hand clapping game. I really was trying to google the name of that flower to have for the display, but ended up finding a nice alternative that kind of had a modern day feel. It was fun working with the catering team to ensure that everything flowed together.

I’m still on a high from last night! I’ve been talking about this so much, but to finally be able to show people what I can do was awesome! Everyone seemed to be impressed with the details of the presentation and enjoyed the wines.

This is just an example of what YGOM can do. The skies the limit and every event will be different. However, I do want to clarify that my services are focused on wine list curation and not wine education. I’m here to help you select the best wines for your event and then create an experience around it. I’m happy to stay and help walk your guests through the wines and serve, but I’m not here to teach. Again, I think people often associate wine consulting with hosting educational tastings and that’s NOT what I’m doing.

A HUGE thank you to my girl Angie for letting YGOM be a part of your special day AND for taking a chance on your wine-obsessed friend. If you’re interested in hiring YGOM for your next event, please book an appointment for a free consultation. Until next time…glasses up!