Pre-event dinners are strongly advised. They provide several opportunities: to make sure the proposed wine pairings work well, to determine if the courses and their matching wines are in a logical sequence, and to make sure that the dinner will meet the expectations of the members. At the initial meeting of the bailliage and the host establishment, agreement should be reached on how this dinner cost will be covered. The dinner should be scheduled, at the convenience of the chef, well in  advance of the event and should include those most intimately involved with its planning. Sometimes the dinner is scheduled at lunchtime.  Having each participant make notes, course by course, based on established criteria developed at the beginning of the meal, can be helpful in arriving at a clear consensus at its conclusion. Subsequently, this consensus should be tactfully communicated to the chef and those in charge of wine selection by one or two people, usually the Bailli and/or the Dinner Chairman. What’s in a name? In the case of these pre-event dinners, it’s good will, so  be careful what you call this dinner. In the past it was often known as a  test dinner, a very judgmental term. Tasting and wine pairing dinner is  suggested instead.  | back to top |