Wine Tastings

“The Savvy Grapes are very knowledgeable about wine & food. Their wine tasting events are professional, not to mention extremely organized. Thanks for a great night out!” - Greg

“The information presented for each wine was very interesting.  After sampling the wine on our own, it was a great experience to smell and taste what you explained to us in advance.  This certainly put those of us who are new to wine tasting at ease.” - Julie

“A lovely evening - the right balance of education & entertainment.  The Savvy Grapes know how to put on a stylish & fun event.” - Heather

“Thank you for a fantastic evening at the Wines to Warm your Winter wine tasting. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!” - Jennifer

“Thank you for a great evening traveling through Tuscany!  We had a blast & look forward to future events hosted by The Savvy Grapes!” - Robert

“What an excellent evening tasting wines from around the world! The Savvy Grapes team displayed incredible poise & knowledge about the wines.” – Jane

“Dave & I had a great time last night. It’s always nice to enjoy new wines. Although I have completed reading Natalie’s book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, which I enjoyed tremendously, it was an added bonus to taste wines she refers to in her book.” - Deb

“What a great way to spend a night out!” – Randy

“A great value for an evening out. Be sure to email me the invitation for you next one.” – Joan

Winemaker’s Dinners

“Tonight’s winemaker’s dinner was educational as well as delicious.” – Stephen

“Tonight’s Savvy Supper Series was very informative. My first experience & I loved it.” - Peter

“The Savvy Supper Series featuring Huff Estates was a perfect combination of good friends, wonderful wine & food.  An ideal way to unwind after a busy day at work.” – Nick

Thank you both for a great evening.  Our table of 11 people had a great time.  Everyone loved the experience as our guests had never participated in an event like that. - Yves

Thanks again for a great night. We really enjoyed ourselves.  Looking forward to the next event.” – Todd

Félicitations and kudos for a very successful evening.  I was impressed with Huff’s winemaker Frédéric Picard and the enthusiastic reaction at my table to the Huff Estate wines.  Personally, I cannot thank you enough for having recommended that I join the table of other singles .  We have even exchanged emails to stay in touch! - Suzanne

“...the good news is that Novotel has come up with a nifty solution for puzzled diners, by colour-coding wine choices with dishes on its new Trio menu....at least that gives me some useful information.” – Ron Eade - Ottawa Citizen’s Food Editor and author of Omnivoire’s Ottawa blog

“The Savvy Grapes, Novotel and Featherstone Winery make a dazzling Trio” – Vic Haradine, Wine Current

“The members of The Savvy Grapes are energetic, motivated & passionate about wine.  They have the contacts & the expertise to organize a wine event that is sophisticated, well detailed & incredibly fun.” – Tonya Lailey, Marketing Manager of Lailey Vineyard

“Discussing wines with Dan Sullivan from Rosehall Run in a casual setting was something I have never had the opportunity to do before.” – Vanessa

“I wanted to quickly thank you for Saturday’s Dining with Winemakers at Noon. We had a fantastic meal coupled with great wine. Meeting and listening to the winemakers added a level of class and enjoyment.” - Ray

“Sue-Ann (Pillitteri Estates’ winemaker) is so passionate about winemaking ...you can tell just in the way she explains her wines” - Scott

“Jeff & I had a great time at the Nova Scotia Kitchen Party - great wines, great company & great entertainment.  It was a fun night out for us.  Thank you!” - Angela

“I totally loved Nova Scotia’s Sommelier Sean Buckland’s contribution to the Nova Scotia Kitchen Party event.  He is an eloquent, knowledgeable speaker who made me want to leave the party & drive straight to Nova Scotia.” - Cindy

Sommelier-led Dinners

“Thank you for a wonderful night. The Savvy Supper Series was so well planned and executed it was a pleasure and I know my clients enjoyed them selves as well.” - Lisa

“The Sommelier led dinner at the Mekong Restaurant was fantastic.  You made a Wednesday night feel like a Friday!” - Suzanne

“After having experienced your Sommelier led dinner, I now have a greater appreciation of how pairing wines with foods can enhance a meal.” – Katherine

“The Sommelier led dinner featuring sparkling wines of the world along with the gourmet meal was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday.  Thank you!” – Tracey

“That was the best event we can remember ever going to.  My wife spent some time at LCBO today and tells me we now have a taste of Tuscany in our collection with our new knowledge from last night’s sommelier led dinner.” - Karl

“Debbie, thank you so much for the fantastic evening – we really enjoyed ourselves. You have such a wonderful presence, you are so knowledgeable and have a great sense of humour. It was very, very smooth and informative and we can’t believe how the time flew!” - Judi

“I had a great time at the Big Night event, and thought the combination of learning about cooking and the wines was perfectly enhanced by being held in such a cozy environment as Pam’s kitchen.” - Jocelyn

“Thank you for a great event!  We had a blast & look forward to future events hosted by The Savvy Grapes!” – Robyn

“Thank you for our BIG NIGHT Sommelier led dinner and cooking class.  I was still full the next day!” - Bryan

Personalized Events

“Debbie - you were simply amazing! Thanks you for participating in our Christmas evening for our clients. I will definitely be calling you for next year’s event.” - Dianne

“Debbie leads one of the friendliest and most knowledgeable teams of sommeliers I’ve met.  The Savvy Grapes make drinking & learning about wine fun” - Natalie MacLean, award winning wine author of NatDecants

“Friendly Sommeliers from The Savvy Grapes, guided sippers through their tastings...at Natalie MacLean’s book launch” - Jennifer Campbell, Ottawa Citizen

“Thanks Debbie for being our Sommelier at our house on Saturday.  Your input was excellent and the feedback from our friends has all been very positive. Sharon and I were both very pleased with the party - you were a large part of the success.” - Charles

“Susan - Everyone had a great time Saturday night at the Italian wine tasting for Yves’s birthday party.  You were outstanding - and shared fascinating stories about your travels to Italy and we all learned from your extensive Sommelier knowledge. The wine selection was great and everyone seemed to have a different favourite.” - Anita

“The recent wine tasting evening was the perfect way to celebrate our 25th corporate anniversary. All the elements of a successful event were present - good food, good wine and good friends and colleagues.  Thanks again Debbie helping to create our special event.” - Celine and Loretta, EDC

“Thank you for hosting my friend Sonia’s 40th surprised birthday.  She was so surprised and impressed to have her very own Sommelier at her party.  The evening went off as planned and our friends thought it was a unique idea for an event as it got people mingling while learning something new about wine.” – Silvie

“The cocktail reception went incredibly well. The wine was a perfect selection and the food was awesome.” – Susan, Perley Robertson

“On behalf of the CAPS Ottawa executive board and those that were in attendance at the wine tasting social event, I wanted to express our sincere thanks for giving us an opportunity to socialize and learn new things – tantalizing as they were!” – Pierrette, Canadian Association of Professional Speakers

“Thanks for putting on such a lovely wine tasting.  It was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon & fundraise for the Canterbury Arts program.  I appreciate your smooth running of the entire event.” – Lorna

“Debbie, I just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful event at our place.  I can’t tell you how much everyone enjoyed it.  Your knowledge, style and just all round approach made it so much fun...it is just a great way to spend an evening.” – Susan

“Susan, everyone had a great time Saturday night.  You made Yves birthday party special – thank you! The Italian wine selection you picked was great and interestingly, everyone had a different favourite.” – Anita

“Debbie, we continue to get no end of compliments about the wines served at our grand opening party - your team did an amazing job.” – Scott, Hallsall and Associates

“We definitely very much enjoyed the wine tasting evening last night and will keep you at the top of our list for future events!” – Chetan, Managers Without Borders

“Thank you for helping to make our retirement celebration a success. I think everyone had a good time. It was a pleasure meeting you. The wines were delicious – great choices.” – Barbara, Ottawa Hospital

Wine & Food Shows

“You are wonderful! Thank you for the time and detail you have put into creating engaging presentations on the main stage at the Spring Home Show. You are welcome back as a presenter anytime!” – Dana, Ottawa Spring Home Show

“Dave considered it a big success thanks very much in large part to you- and your Savvy Team. They were great. He was very positive about the whole experience and your team of Sommeliers who helped out.” – Louise, Featherstone Estate Winery

“Thank you again for the Thirty Three Vines Founder’s Circle VIP event at the winery, pre-concert wine tasting and the private concert with The Jim Cuddy Band. It was a roaring success. I know exactly why it worked so well—because of the Savvy team!” - Paul, Thirty Three Vines

“I would like to personally thank you for inviting us to be part of the VIP day at Thirty Three Vines, we really had a lovely time.  From our perspective, the event you organized was a huge success and my congratulations to you on a job well done.” – Mary

“Positive comments were shared all around the Board table last night at the WBN Board meeting. The event was a class act all the way and kudos to you!  The evening went exactly the way I had envisioned. I appreciate your attention to every detail. Thank you for making the President’s Christmas Party a success” – Patricia, Women’s Business Network

Corporate Events

“It’s official, you are a hit! I have been receiving calls and e-mails from everyone thanking us for the wonderful evening. I can’t thank you enough. I was so impressed with how smoothly everything was done and the really wonderful way you are able to get everybody engaged in the process. I have been singing your praises for two days now!” - L Robinson, CIBC Private Wealth Management

“Working with Savvy Company was a delightful experience.  The valuable expertise of Savvy’s team of sommeliers and their ability to manage wine-tasting events were very helpful for the success of the Viva Argentina! event.” -E Tiravanti, Embassy of Argentina in Canada

We had a wonderful time with Gina as our Sommelier for our Christmas party.  She did a fantastic job of organizing everything.  The wine and food pairings during the meal were excellent - I have had nothing but positive feedback with regards to the evening.  This is usually a hard group to please so this is a real accomplishment.  Thank you!!” - L Poirer, CHEO Dental

“In talking amongst our office this morning, we all agreed that last night’s client appreciation wine tasting event was successful. Thank you Susan and Wayne for all of you work and planning, it made my job a whole lot easier.” - J Wright, Altus Group

“Thank you ever so much for yesterday’s Sommelier-led lunch. It was well received by everyone in our office - all have stated back they had a great time, and enjoyed the meal and your hosting.” - R Comeau, Natural Resources Canada

“Just wanted to thank you for all of your help in making our grand opening a success. I’ve only heard wonderful things about the event, which would not have been as successful without the help of you and your team. I look forward to working with you again in the future. Thanks again for everything!” - S Clark, Halsall and Associates

“Just a quick note to let you know that last night was a success despite the bad weather. Wayne did a wonderful job, was very informative indeed. My guests all commented positively about him, and the whole experience. Food was great, wines were delightful.” - J Doucet, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.

“Thank you Susan. The feedback from the event was positive and we had a great time.  Thanks to you and Wayne for keeping the evening organized and we look forward to doing this again.” – Lori, Colliers International

“Everyone I’ve spoken to really enjoyed the event.  Paul, our resident wine expert, was particularly impressed with the reds you selected.  I will definitely keep you in mind when planning future outings for our teams.” – Diane, EDC

“I just wanted to put in writing what I said in person. It was a fabulous evening. The wines were lovely and an excellent variety. And your commentary was very insightful. I look forward to working with you in future.” - B Shepherd, Britannia Yacht Club

“Thanks so much for providing such a wonderful Scotch Tasting event on Friday evening for the Canadian Association of Radiologists. Everyone had a great time and you selection of scotch (or should I say whiskey) was a huge hit. The extra traffic in the exhibit area was greatly appreciated by all of the sponsors… and I know the President and the CEO really enjoy the event. You certainly provided the attendees at the conference something a little out of the norm!” C Scott, First Avenue Events

“Kudos to everyone involved for making this another successful event for the Ottawa alumni. A special thank to Debbie for all the hard work I know went into putting this together. All the feedback I got throughout the night was very positive and it was obvious that everyone had a great time. Thanks again to Debbie and to the whole team for pitching in and making this such a fun event!” - T Pauls, Alumni Relations, Queen’s School of Business

“Thank you for leading my clients in a creative and informative wine tasting of Italian wines. The event was very well organizes, innovative and informative. I couldn’t be happier and my clients were thrilled!” - M Clark, BMO Nesbitt Burns

“Debbie led us through a tutored wine and food tasting at Canaccord Capital. It was a huge success and received rave reviews from all those who attended. Debbie was a true professional from start to finish. Her unique approach is ideal for corporate events and for personal use.” - S Rice, Canaccord Capital

“When Temple Scott Associates needed a selection of outstanding Canadian wines to complement receptions and dinners for the Governor General’s Leadership Conference, we called on The Savvy Grapes for expert advice…TSA has every confidence that we can count on sound expert advice from The Savvy Grapes.” - B Milliken, Temple Scott Associates

“Debbie..thanks again for orchestrating such a lovely evening.  We’ve had great feedback from everyone on your presentation, the wines and the restaurant.  It was the perfect location for our company’s holiday gathering.  Of course, none of it would have happened without all your hard work and skill.  Your speaking style was perfect for our event; lively, entertaining, and of course, informative!” – Karen, IBM