Why should headshots and branding photos be boring?! One of my favorite things is working with entrepreneurial women who want something that shows off who they are, in and out of their business, for their websites and social media. When Claire reached out we started chatting about various location ideas, wardrobe options and the general look and feel she was going for. I was thrilled when she decided on two locations. The RiNo Arts District would give her that fun, unique, urban feel she really wanted and her warm and inviting home which was perfect for showing off all of the wine-tasting goodies.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Claire, Wine Bound and some tips and tricks to putting together the perfect charcuterie board.
Tell us about your business... Adventure Beyond the Bottle. Claire provides both private and corporate bespoke wine experiences through virtual or in-person tastings, guided wine travel, as well as Fine Wine cellar management and procurement consultancy services. With over 10 years of international wine industry experience, Claire seeks to make the world of wine more approachable to all through storytelling. She believes that behind every bottle, behind every label, there is a story to be told. Her goal is to share those with anyone willing to sit down with a glass for a tale of adventure beyond the bottle. Get ready to be transported with a taste of intrigue and scandal - maybe even danger - and be left feeling thirsty for more!
Tell us a bit about you... Claire spent much of her childhood living abroad (being a dual Swiss-American citizen), before returning to the States for high school and . After graduating from Virginia Tech with a BA in International Relations, having spent a year studying abroad in France, she couldn’t shake the travel bug – so she moved to Lyon… Lyon is known as the beating heart of French cuisine. Surrounded by the best food and wine in the world (with the Rhone Valley to the south and Burgundy to the north), Claire decided to leave the world of political science in pursuit of a more delicious and perhaps salacious career. While completing her MBA in Paris, Claire received her oenology* diploma at the Bordeaux Wine Institute and her Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma Level 3 with Distinction. Over the last decade, Claire has worked for the leading Wine PR Agency in Paris, as a Fine Wine Broker in for a negociant Bordelaise, and as a Fine Wine Advisor in London. She is now in Denver, Colorado and is the corporate Wine Buyer for a national grocery chain. Likewise, she is currently studying for her French Wine Scholar Diploma, continuing her pursuit of becoming one of the select few French Wine Experts worldwide.
I absolutely love her shoe selections, especially these white and gold high-tops!
What are some things you love to do, outside of your business? Travel and cook! I love seeing and experiencing new places and cultures! I also believe this goes hand in hand with cuisine - you can really start to understand a culture by tasting it whether that's through their food or wine. Not to mention food and drink have brought people together around tables for centuries. I'm all about it. It's bonding and memorable like nothing else.
Any tips, tricks or other things you would like to share with us? In the beautiful photos from Silver Sparrow - you will see something I always suggest having on hand during a wine tasting - a charcuterie board. Here are a few tips and tricks to building a beautiful and delicious charcuterie board to pair with your next bottle. A charcuterie (pronounced “shar – koo – tuh – ree”) board is an arranged spread of meats, cheeses, fruit, and nuts. It actually comes from the French language and means prepared/cured meats. I highly recommend adding some seasonal items on the board as well. Charcuterie spreads are typically served on a treated wooden serving board, but you can also use a plates or any food-safe surface that is large enough to accommodate your selection. Classic inclusions on a board are: Cured meats, Variety of cheeses, Olives, Honey, Nuts, Fresh fruit, Dried Fruit, crackers or bread and jam. Arrange in any eye-pleasing fashion as you see fit! Important to keep in mind (and of course, in my opinion, the most importantly) is to select your cheeses and cured meats that pair well with your wine. You can do this by reading the tasting notes and suggested food pairings with the type of wine in advance. Basic flavor pairing theory says that flavors can work either congruently or complementarily. Congruent pairings have shared compounds that combine together to intensify a flavor. Complementary pairings oppose and counteract each other to create balance. Some incredible pairings based off of this theory is that pungent food like Gorgonzola cheese matches with wine that have high acidity and sweetness to complement and create a balance of flavor, not intensify an already very intense flavor. So a dessert wine such as a Sauternes is perfect.
What makes you / your business unique? I would say that many find the wine world rather snobby or at least recognize that there are various barriers to entry when it comes to feeling comfortable picking out a bottle of wine at a shop or restaurant. I want to break down those barriers in a fun and unique way. Through unique tastings and experiences such as my Dangerous Wines of the World, Off the Grid, and Fizzycal Education - I think it's really easy for anyone to learn while being entertained and laughing! Something certainly unique is that I curate all of the wines and experiences individually per request - and do not sell any products- only expertise -which means no tasting is about trying to sell a wine itself but rather about sparking a passionate interest and conversation!
If you would like to reach out to Claire about wine tastings she can be reached at her website wineboundllc.com or follow on Instagram at @wine.bound
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