The Wine Voyage

Table of Contents - Why Describing Wine Feels Hard (And How to Fix That) - The Four Building Blocks of Wine Description - How to Describe Wine Appearance - How to Describe Wine Aromas - How to Describe Wine on the Palate - How to Describe the Finish - Putting It All Together: Sample Tasting Notes - Common Descriptors and What They Mean - The Fastest Way to Build Wine Vocabulary - Further Reading Why Describing Wine Feels Hard (And How to Fix That) One of the things I hear most often from people who are new to wine is some version of: "I know I like it, I just don't know how to describe wine." They can taste the difference between two glasses. They have preferences. But the moment someone asks them what they're getting, they freeze. Here's the thing: wine description isn't about having a naturally gifted palate. It's about having a framework. Once you know what categories to look for — structure, aroma, texture, finish — the vocabulary comes much more natur...

Table of Contents - Why Describing Wine Feels Hard (And How to Fix That) - The Four Building Blocks of Wine Description - How to Describe Wine Appearance - How to Describe Wine Aromas - How to Describe Wine on the Palate - How to Describe the Finish - Putting It All Together: Sample Tasting Notes - Common Descriptors and What They Mean - The Fastest Way to Build Wine Vocabulary - Further Reading Why Describing Wine Feels Hard (And How to Fix That) One of the things I hear most often from people who are new to wine is some version of: "I know I like it, I just don't know how to describe wine." They can taste the difference between two glasses. They have preferences. But the moment someone asks them what they're getting, they freeze. Here's the thing: wine description isn't about having a naturally gifted palate. It's about having a framework. Once you know what categories to look for — structure, aroma, texture, finish — the vocabulary comes much more natur...

Table of Contents - Why Small Groups Need a Different Approach - What Makes Team Building Activities Work for Small Groups - The Best Team Building Activities for Small Groups - How to Plan Team Building Activities for Small Groups - Where The Wine Voyage Fits In - Further Reading Why Small Groups Need a Different Approach There's a sweet spot in corporate events that most planners miss: the small group. Not the 200-person all-hands, not the two-person lunch — I'm talking about 6 to 30 people. An executive team. A startup's full staff. A newly formed cross-functional project group. A department of 15. Team building activities for small groups should feel fundamentally different from large-scale events. The intimacy is the point. You're not trying to give people a shared experience across a crowd — you're trying to create real connection among people who actually work together every day. That's why the best activities in this size range lean into interaction, con...

Table of Contents - Why Small Groups Need a Different Approach - What Makes Team Building Activities Work for Small Groups - The Best Team Building Activities for Small Groups - How to Plan Team Building Activities for Small Groups - Where The Wine Voyage Fits In - Further Reading Why Small Groups Need a Different Approach There's a sweet spot in corporate events that most planners miss: the small group. Not the 200-person all-hands, not the two-person lunch — I'm talking about 6 to 30 people. An executive team. A startup's full staff. A newly formed cross-functional project group. A department of 15. Team building activities for small groups should feel fundamentally different from large-scale events. The intimacy is the point. You're not trying to give people a shared experience across a crowd — you're trying to create real connection among people who actually work together every day. That's why the best activities in this size range lean into interaction, con...

Table of Contents - Why Virtual Team Building Is Harder Than It Looks - What Makes a Virtual Team Building Activity Work - The 15 Best Virtual Team Building Ideas - How to Choose the Right Virtual Team Building Activity - Logistics That Actually Matter - The Case for Food and Drink Events - Getting Started with The Wine Voyage - Further Reading Why Virtual Team Building Is Harder Than It Looks I've planned more corporate events than I can count. In-person ones, hybrid ones, and — especially over the last several years — fully virtual ones. And I'll tell you something most event platforms won't: most virtual team building ideas fail not because the technology breaks, but because nobody actually wanted to do them. A mandatory Zoom trivia night that eats into someone's evening feels like punishment. A virtual team building ideas session that gives people a reason to show up — something genuinely interesting, something with a real skill or story behind it — lands completely...

Table of Contents - Why Virtual Team Building Is Harder Than It Looks - What Makes a Virtual Team Building Activity Work - The 15 Best Virtual Team Building Ideas - How to Choose the Right Virtual Team Building Activity - Logistics That Actually Matter - The Case for Food and Drink Events - Getting Started with The Wine Voyage - Further Reading Why Virtual Team Building Is Harder Than It Looks I've planned more corporate events than I can count. In-person ones, hybrid ones, and — especially over the last several years — fully virtual ones. And I'll tell you something most event platforms won't: most virtual team building ideas fail not because the technology breaks, but because nobody actually wanted to do them. A mandatory Zoom trivia night that eats into someone's evening feels like punishment. A virtual team building ideas session that gives people a reason to show up — something genuinely interesting, something with a real skill or story behind it — lands completely...