Celia Hodder, a young wine enthusiast from Halifax, Nova Scotia, shares her experience attending her first wine tasting, led by Paul Hines.
“Paul Hines is a wine genius! He thrives at the opportunity to share his love and knowledge of wine. I am no expert on wine, but Paul loves to teach even novices and he isn’t pretentious when he does.
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend one of his events. His energy and sense of humour parallels his love of wine, which makes him a great entertainer. I was in awe of the detailed aromas he could extract from each wine. There was even a PowerPoint presentation which displayed maps of each of the regions and why different grapes flourish in those regions.
My favourite part of the event was when he encouraged the group to close our eyes, and sniff a mystery dish; he then asked us to compare the smell of the fruit associated with the wine. Until then, I had no idea what a lychee smelled like, and now I can identify it in certain wines!
After wine tasting with Paul I can say that I have gained enough confidence to choose a great wine to bring to a dinner party or special occasion, where previously I would have been hesitant. A Paul Hines wine tasting is a fantastic, entertaining event; and you even get to take home a little knowledge along the way!”
— Celia Hodder lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia