On a restaurant floor, a little bit of wine knowledge and confidence goes a long way with

guests who are looking to experience something new and go on a journey with you and

your team.  Advanced Sommelier and Cataloochee Ranch Wine Director, Cara De

Lavallade will be leading an educational wine journey around the world during Western

Carolina University’s one-day course, Discovering Wine: A Sensory Exploration in

Asheville, NC on May 17th.

With over 15 years of experience selling wine on restaurant floors and educating service

teams, Cara helps individuals develop a base level of wine knowledge to use every day

when helping their guests, ordering wines, and selling to their customers. This specific

course will begin with the fundamental basics of wine and include discussions of how

geography, climate, geology, wine making, food, and culture lay the foundation for

understanding what makes different wines unique and how they can be best

appreciated.

Although this course will include tasting several wines together while learning what

makes them unique, this course is more than just a wine tasting. Cara wants to provide

individuals in the hospitality industry and those with a love for wine, a deeper

understanding of what they are serving and drinking. Diving into understanding the

distinction between the most common grape varieties, where they are cultivated from,

common winemaking techniques that impact flavors, and typical aromatic and flavor

characteristics are just a few things you can learn during this course to help you sell

specific wines to your patrons. There will also be discussion on serving and storing

wines properly.

“My team members tell me that learning with me gives them the confidence they need

to sell wine in the restaurant because they understand the greater contexts in which

wines are made and can describe why different wines offer different experiences. They

have been able to increase their daily sales by offering pairing suggestions and

upselling bottles. For some, learning with me has led to a career in wine” Cara

explained. Cara has mentored several team members who have worked through their

certifications and has led a variety of trainings.

This hands-on course is perfect for restaurant servers and owners, those who order

wines for restaurants and bars, wine store owners, and anyone interested in diving

deeper into the world of wines. Cara shares, “The way in which we perceive wine on a

sensory level is deeply personal and informed by our lives- where we live, how we grew

up, what we eat and smell every day- everyone has their own experience of it. That is

one of the things that is so interesting about wine. As we taste through the wines, we

will discuss as a group what we are experiencing.”

Join Western Carolina University’s Division of Educational Outreach on May 17th from

2:00 – 5:00 pm at WCU’s Instructional Site at Biltmore Park for the Discovering Wine:

A Sensory Exploration. Registration will close for this course on May 2. The cost is $75 per participant and you can register at learn.wcu.edu under Special Interests & Community Programs.