Know Your Palate Wine Tour

While the 3 partners of Proud Wineaux (pronounced wine-o) are a humble bunch, they sure know how to throw a party! A wine party that is! Proud Wineaux is a wine events company that provides a complete and immersive food and wine pairing experience. Upon arrival, it’s evident that they are getting kinky with wine as they blind taste with sleep masks. Their challenge? To completely alter the way you eat and drink. Their purpose? Helping you know your palate. As I dove into the launch of their Know Your Palate Wine experience, it felt like just another day in the world of wine takeover for the well-trained staff of PW’s (that’s what they’re called) in a spectacularly decorated event space in Manhattan. This was no normal wine tasting. The detail placed on each inch of space was alluring and jaw dropping. From the chabudai low Japanese custom table on the floor surrounded by Japanese inspired pillowcases, to the bamboo blinds surrounding the table, the detail made me feel like I had traveled to another land to experience another culture! The staff walked us through an exploration of food and wine combinations that pushed the envelop of orthodox behavior while simultaneously releasing apprehensions of trying new foods. “Taste like a Proud Wineaux” the PW declared as I roasted a marshmallow with an official roasting stick on a wooden bench inside of a tent. Yes, we were inside of a building, in a tent. It was a perfectly trained ritual as we ensconced our palates with the warmth of the toasted marshmallow in conjunction with the impeccably chilled Chardonnay. I have done many things, but indulging in this blissful combination prior to this event was not one of them. My friend and I later walked to the next station, which featured another grape from a different part of the world, Sauvignon Blanc. With a scenic banner of images from New Zealand, we were overwhelmed to behold its glory while standing on grass. Yes, grass! We sat our glasses down to realize there was also a beautiful grass turf display on the table as well accented by esoteric foods like dragon fruit, ruby red grapefruits, passion fruits and lime wedges. It was the most masterful display of greenery I had witnessed without being in a rain forest! And then came the globe artichoke with a garlic aioli carefully placed in the center. It was simply amazing and I learned just how ideal the pairing is between Sauvignon Blanc and artichokes! As we neared the end, I was slightly melancholy because I did not want this journey of learning and laughing to end. I can definitively say I have never gone to a tasting this fun and learned this much.

Proud Wineaux’s “Know Your Palate” wine tour gives you an up close and personal invitation to experience the power of the perfect marriage between food and wine. They highlight how wine is transformed with innovative and unique novelties that keep you sipping and diving in for more. Then, they bring the novelty pairing to life with a selection of gourmet mini tapas and cheeses to pair with each wine. I have an entirely new respect for cotton candy as I made a cone full from the machine and drank it with Merlot! For the food and wine lovers and people looking to do one of the most fun wine activities in New York, you've got a friend in Proud Wineaux. Brace yourselves as they guide you through a unique pairing experience where wine is the bait, pairing is the hook and satisfaction reels you in every time. Oh! But remember to bring a friend....you're going to need a witness when you tell everyone how amazing it was and no one believes you.