GiraMondo Wine Adventures

GiraMondo Wine Adventures is a wine-centric event planning firm. We propose a number of wine events for all kinds of corporate functions, whether they are for employee appreciation, recruiting, client / prospect appreciation, holiday parties, team-building exercises or board / offsite meetings. Our unique wine events can be catered to all levels of wine expertise and are an exciting and different approach to corporate events. Some of our solutions include: Turnkey prepackaged fine wine receptions and classes such as The Sipping Soiree, Wise on Wine, and Connoisseurs’ Club. Each are designed for your event needs and delivered to your office and setup for your immediate enjoyment. Turnkey prepackaged wine entertainment solutions such as Vini Vegas: the Ultimate Wine Casino and Winemaking Academy. These events are a unique and exciting option for any event! Having worked with many different types of people and companies, we understand the importance of creating fulfilling relationships among partners, associates, employees, and clients. Our events can be a great addition to your firm’s programs and a new approach to your social events. Additionally, GiraMondo Wine offers wine events in the Washington, DC area for all wine enthusiasts. From beginner courses to advanced tastings and from intimate gatherings to embassy wine festivals, GiraMondo Wine has an event to appeal to any wine drinker!

More info:

11002 Veirs Mill Road Suite 727
Wheaton, MD 20902

• infos@giramondowine.com
• www.giramondowine.com
• 301.841.7609- ask for Hailey

Tom DiNardo - The Wine Zealot

Tom DiNardo has worked in the wine industry in both California and Washington. With a reverence for the grape, Tom continues his passionate pursuit today as a wine consultant and educator who teaches others about oenology and wine collecting. Mr. DiNardo is a sommelier diplomate with the International Sommelier Guild and a member of the Society of Wine Educators. He is a freelance writer for Wine Enthusiast, Decanter, Santé and Wine Adventure Magazines, and is a regular contributor to Wine Squire.com and WineandSpiritsJobs.com. Tom is a featured auctioneer for Chicago based ERI wine auction gallery, and has sold some of the finest and rarest wines from around the world. Mr. DiNardo is also a certified master appraiser. Through these unique experiences, Tom has gained invaluable knowledge about the wine industry.

Prior to his wine immersion experience, Tom DiNardo founded DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers in 1993. A true entrepreneur and veteran charity auctioneer, Mr. DiNardo now had a unique opportunity to marry both his passion for wine and fund-raising auctions together in pioneering what is today one of the most exciting and newly emerging trends: charity wine auctions. Since its founding, DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers has achieved an outstanding reputation for fund-raising, record setting auction revenues (5 world records), and client satisfaction. Tom has been a featured auctioneer on TLC's "Wrecks to Riches" television program. DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers is ranked as one of the “Top 4 fundraising auction firms" in the nation, and Tom DiNardo has been referred to as "one of the nation’s preeminent charity wine auctioneers.” Tom welcomes the opportunity to serve your organization. Visit my Auction Calendar.

More info:

PO Box #11

Lynden, WA 98264

• info@DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com
• www.DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com
• 888-503-0828

Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach

Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®, combines her extensive knowledge of wine with her experience as a life coach. She began her wine career in Manhattan where she studied with the American Sommelier Association to obtain her certificate in Viticulture and Vinification with follow-up training at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. As The Wine Coach®, Laurie creates corporate, private events and tours that help people de-mystify wine one glass at a time! Her radio show "Something to Wine About®" can be heard each week on WCEI 96.7FM and WBAL 1090 AM. Her columns are seen in fine magazines like What's Up? Annapolis and GrapeVine. The Wine Coach® events are unique, fun, and always attitude-free! Great for conventions, team building, special occasions or just because.

More info:

PO Box 763
Easton, MD 21601

• laurie@thewinecoach.com
• www.thewinecoach.com
• 410-820-4212

Dara Does It

Can’t cook and want to learn? Want a specialty event to draw attention to your business? Need a spokesperson to kick start a new product? Dara Bunjon, founder of Dara Does It brings to the table her passion for food along with her years of public relations and marketing experience. Your choice of services are vast from cooking classes for home cooks and team building, food styling, freelance writing, cooking presentations on television, and product demonstrations. If it is food – Dara Does It. Google Dara Bunjon for a more in-depth profile.

More info:

• info@dara-does-it.com
• www.dara-does-it.com
• 410-486-0339

Vino 101, LLC

Vino 101 now offers on-site corporate wine tastings! Our wine tastings are fully mobile and are perfect for your office, team building, client entertaining, your annual company party, or simply to wind down after a busy conference. You invite the guests and provide the physical location- and we will take care of everything else. Vino 101 wine tastings are not like the others- as we believe learning about wine should be fun- not complicated. Our team of wine professionals has a fresh and unstuffy approach. We hold events for companies and individuals who want personalized service and to learn and explore through enjoyment. Vino 101 offers tailor made wine courses and team events that cannot fail to break the ice and bring people together. As an added feature to Vino 101’s on-site seminars, we offer all tasting attendees 60-day access to our e-Learning tutorial: Vino 101: An Introduction to Wine (Consumer Edition). This on-line course covers the basics of wine, major varietals, wine-producing regions, and service and buying tips that are useful to every wine lover, novice or advanced. Our Introduction to Wine course serves as a great follow-up to a tasting event- as your attendees can further the information gained at the tasting! So why not book a wine tasting for your next office party, or add an interesting twist to a day of golf or after-conference cocktail party? Do something your employees and/or clients will remember- enlist Vino 101 to conduct a wine tasting at your next event!

More info:

• info@vino101.com
• www.vino101.com/seminars.htm
• 443-927-1783 ext. 701

Chef Diane Bukatman - For the Love of Food

Chef Diane Bukatman, a graduate from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, thrives on sharing her passion and love of food and cooking with others. She taught at the French Culinary Institute and New York Restaurant School, both in NYC for 7 years, as well as L'Ecole de Cuisine, A Cook's Table, and Williams-Sonoma. Chef Diane has over 20 years experience as both a Chef and Pastry Chef for NYC's most critically acclaimed restaurants, including Le Cirque (NYC). She had the pleasure and honor of baking cakes for Walter Cronkite, Beverly Sills, Paula Abdul, Carly Simon, and enjoyed feeding James Taylor. For the past 6 years Diane teaches Cooking Classes & Creates unique culinary experiences, including Corporate Team Building through Cooking, in her two kitchens in Reisterstown, Maryland. As one of the Baltimore area's most acclaimed cooking teachers for both adults and children, her classes, ranging from How to Think Like A Chef Cooking Series to KIDS COOK! Summer Camp, are wildly popular and sell out quickly. Her creativity knows no bounds, and in addition to teaching, and creating mouthwatering menus and desserts for her clients, she writes a bi-weekly food article. Come to For The Love of Food experience cooking in our 2 Dream Kitchens - Equipped with a total of 16 burners, a flame grille, 2 griddles, 8 ovens, and 3 sinks to Feed your Passion! For more information, call Chef Diane at 443-865-0630 or go to: http://www.fortheloveoffood.com/home.php .

More info:

20 Clarks Lane; Reisterstown, MD 21136

• diane@fortheloveoffood.com
• www.fortheloveoffood.com/Adult_Cooking_Classes.html
• 443-865-0630

Grape Ventures LLC

Monyka Berrocosa Marbach is an accomplished food and wine educator, consultant and journalist with over 7 years educating hundreds in the Mid Atlantic (Baltimore, DC, VA, DE and PA) region as well as in NYC, Canada and London, England. Her signature approach is "Education not Intimidation". "M" as friends, students and clients call her welcomes the opportunity to initiate and guide people in the pleasures of the table. If she cannot provide the expertise or knowledge you are seeking, she will help you identify someone who can. For more information please visit grapeventures.com

More info:

• gvllc@peoplepc.com
• www.grapeventures.com
• 410-746-3469