Noelia Romero, emcee for the event, toasting the crowd. (Photo by J.R. Warnet)
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BRICK – Venice and Rome may be thousands of miles away, but the sweet taste of their wines is closer to home than you think.
Wine enthusiasts had a chance to taste a few reds and whites from Italy during a fun filled evening. A group of about 40 people purchased tickets beforehand to benefit the Church of the Visitation. The event was hosted by the church with a tasting and lecture provided by Tastefully Done Events. An additional part of the fundraising was a 50/50 and a raffle for wine-themed baskets.
Joanne Martone, parish Catechetical Leader of the Church of the Visitation, helped organize the event. She spoke before the tasting about how the idea came about. “It’s the first year that we are trying this out,” said Martone. “We like to have events at the church that the parish community and public would want to attend. We’re just starting out small with this one.”
Martone, whose been with the church for 5 years, said the tickets were limited to 50 people in total. The emcee for the evening will be giving attendees a tour of Italy through its wines. “It’s basically going to be about Italy, the regions of the wines and some wines will be on hand to taste.”
Most wine tastings have a theme behind the event. Whether it be regional, like this wine tasting, or pairing specific wines with specific food items, a wine tasting offers the attendee a chance to try something different.
One good idea with this wine tasting was that the emcee will tell the visitors where they can purchase the wines they are enjoying. Most of the wines available at the event can be found within a few miles of the church on Mantoloking Road.
“A lot of times you go to an event, and you can’t find the wines anywhere,” said Martone. “We tell you where you can buy these wines locally.”
All the wines available for the tasting. (Photo by J.R. Warnet)
The evening’s event was emceed by Noelia Romero, owner of Tastefully Done Events. Her company has been providing beverage experiences for the public for the past 15 years. She recently said the event would be elevated. “My job is: any way that beverage can be added to an event; to elevate a private dinner, 40th birthday party, a backyard event – I’ll go there to pour wines, make cocktails, etc.”
This fundraiser focused on Italy so the experience will be solely of Italian made wines.
“It’s going to be a guided Italian wine tour. Wines will be from different regions of Italy. I’ll also have a PowerPoint with the history of wine, where the regions are. We’re going to talk about weather and where the wineries are, how it’s made,” said Romero. “It’s a wine education experience for a good cause.”
Romero insisted she is not a mobile bartender. Rather, she delivers a curated experience; a luxury experienced host. She isn’t a sommelier, either. Her experience comes from the wholesale and distribution end of beverages. Romero’s work with wines comes from an on the ground, hands-on approach. She’s been to places like Australia and Spain where she’s made wine. Romero has also curated many restaurants’ wine lists before, so she knows what she’s talking about.
“There aren’t a lot of places where people can learn about wine, so I bring that to them,” she said. “There are still pockets of wine drinkers in New Jersey that love wine and I’m thankful when I connect with people like that.”
Centerpiece at the event. (Photo by J.R. Warnet)
Romero has done a lot of wine and cheese events in the past, so once she met Joanne Martone, they talked about how they could create this type of experience. A fundraiser for the parish was the result.
Those who attended the event were seated in tables of 12. Red and white flowers were placed every six seats in as centerpieces. The placemats had space for 6 wines; all to be tasted and discussed by Romero during the presentation. Bottles of cold water were given out to wash down the wines, and a full charcuterie board was set up to accompany the wines. Corks and small flags of Italy were placed carefully around the long tables.
Once the event began, attendees were able to watch a large TV screen with details about the wine regions of Italy. Then, each wine sampled was given its time to shine, with information from Romero of how to enjoy each wine, what it pairs well with, and what to expect while savoring the taste.
Attendees were started off with the white wines, with the prosecco wine first up. The cold, fresh wine was used sort of as a palette cleanser; something light to start the evening. Wine tasters moved all the way through the white wines until the ended the evening with three reds. The wines chosen all had different tasting profiles. Over the course of the evening, guests were treated to six wines in total. By the end of the event, many guests were happy to learn about Italian wines, where to purchase them and how to enjoy the new wines next time they dine out or at home.
Both Romero and the Church of the Visitation have other events upcoming in the future.
For those interested in learning more about the Church of the Visitation, please contact Joanne Martone at visitationrcchurch.org.
