wine

[from Latin vinum] is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes,
generally Vitis vinifera or its hybrids with Vitis labrusca or Vitis rupestris.

club¹

"a wine club"  

synonyms:society · social gathering · organization · sampling of people gathered
for an evening of merriment · group · [more]

Wine Club: One of Pressed Event Services Signatures

The finely tuned brain-child from socialite #girlboss & magical moment maker, Rachelle Collette. Social, simple, a meeting of old friends and new gathered together to leisurely tour some locally sourced cheeses and exquisitely paired wines.

As a journalist with a petulant for good wine and well paired cheeses, I was curious what all the talk was about. I came in solo, and having arrived a few minutes early I was invited to sit in the lounge. Wine Club, which is held in different venues – always a treat. Happily I made my way to the bar, as we were at Sproat Lake Landing, a seasonal restaurant on beautiful Sproat Lake. I ordered my usual there, a Burrowing Owl, Pinot Gris. At the time of this interview, and great management – wine at the Landing was always served at perfect temperature. As I was sitting, I noticed people coming in two’s, three’s, couples & singles. The Pressed Wine Club wasn’t what I expected, it was much less formal. There were a good mix of men and woman, different ages, and even a few fashionista‘s for good measure. Come dressed up, or down – the point, it is a social evening out.

Moving guests from the lounge into the Stirling Room, the event began.

Our host, Rachelle introduced us to the selection of wines of the evening, each Wine Club evening highlights a different selection of wines carefully selected and paired by Miss Collette her self.

We all then began the tour with some literature talking about some practical tasting tips, as well the menu of the evening with an area for notes – should you wish to make any. It was a delight to have the opportunity to try the wines and their pairings at my own speed. I was able to ask questions, and talk to my neighbors. We even had the opportunity to linger or go back and discover our favorites. The atmosphere was positive, friendly and engaging.

 My biggest focus now is event management & wedding coordinating but the Wine Club is and will always be a passion project. – Rachelle Collette

LBH had a few minutes to chat with Rachelle after the meeting and was given an inside look at all the wonderful things to celebrate as Pressed Events continues to thrive in the hospitality industry not to mention an inside look at what’s driving this moment making maven!

The Woman behind the Magic: Rachelle Collette

LBH: What moves you? What drives you to do what you do every day? Where does the spark come from?

RC: I consider myself to be a hospitalitarian. For some of us, it’s just in our blood and, there isn’t much we can do about it! I love food, I love wine and I get embarrassingly excited about glassware. I enjoy pushing and stretching creative ideas. Brainstorming with my team and coming up with fresh concepts that are just a bit more challenging, and a little crazier than the last ones. I don’t think there’s anything like the anxiety felt before tackling an event we think we can pull off, or the rush following a successful execution. The exciting thing about coordinating weddings and particularly at McLean Mill Historic Park is the fact that it is so new, (very old, actually ha) but being a defining part of the identity of the gorgeous event space at the Historic Park is so special. I think what really motivates me about this particular environment is the fact that every single colleague is excited and passionate. Everyone contributes and when you start picking each other’s brains and collaborating on new thoughts and projects it becomes this contagious cycle.

LBH: Let’s look back a little more. If you could step back in time and have a chat with your younger self: What advice would you give?

RC: Take some down time. I tend to get very excited about tackling new projects. I put my heart and soul into it, which is something I do really admire about myself, but it can also be detrimental. What I have to constantly remind myself of is that not everything needs to get done right this second. Prioritize and come up with a strategic way to execute a project. And for gods’ sake delegate!

LBH: What do you like to do outside of work?

RC: I like to run! We live in such a beautiful part of the world, I like taking my border collie out to beaver pond or stamp falls and running the trails. In the winter months I love going snowboarding, and am excited to re-explore Mt.Washington this year! The thing with the event managment industry, is that sometimes, you need to force yourself to leave, get some air, and to think about something other than what wines will pair with our feature tonight!

LBH: Can you tell us about any exciting projects you have coming up? What are you most excited to create.

RC: Right now the event management arm of my business; it’s my newest baby. There is nothing like it in the Alberni Valley, yet people LOVE exquisite events! My company takes all the stress off the client so much so that they can sit back and truly enjoy the event, and if this is your wedding, what a better gift to give yourself?! Its relaxed, its social and as I build my team of culinary partners it’s delicious! Not to mention an excuse for me to sip on some fine wines and nibble on some local cheeses at work……Shh!

I am thrilled to have some island wineries come out and feature their wines at some of our upcoming events – one that I am very excited to be producing this spring, I won’t say too much right now but let’s just say, this valley won’t have seen anything like it.  I am really excited to see how the we grow and organically develop. Over Christmas we produced an event that catered to over 350 families over three days and it was a smashing success. It’s been fun playing with my range, family events, community events, private corporate events, and luxury destination weddings. It is the first time I have ever started something like this and I am so anxious to see where it takes us!

LBH: What are you known for?

RC: Well, if you asked my team, they would tell you wine. In my business I am often sourcing out new products to bring in, or sharing some insight with colleagues about wines they’ve had or I’ve had. I spend a lot of time reading and studying regions and grape varietals and absolutely LOVE pairing wine and food.

However, if you asked my family and friends outside of the industry, they would probably tell you that I have a hard time bitting my tongue when I have something to say; another blessing and a curse! …..They might also say I have expensive taste!

LBH: What do you absolutely LOVE about yourself?

RC: I love that I am not afraid to express my ideas, but am still open minded about creativity and I do not get married to an idea. I love that some of my ideas are just awful, but they’re said anyways, because for every 5 bad ideas, an AMAZING one comes out. I am able to take a thought and run with it, without judging myself or others.

LBH: We finish the interview and you step outside the office and find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?

RC: I immediately buy a first class ticket to France. I start in Paris to do some shopping, then up to Champagne where I indulge in some Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon. I pop over to Alsace and then into Burgundy where I tour and sample all the Grand Crus Vineyards. I’d spend some time along the Rhone Valley, and, on my way to Bordeaux, I’d take a pit stop in Barcelona….. and hey, why not pop over to Switzerland to do a bit of snowboarding too!

For any and all inquires about Pressed Event Services or Upcoming Events at McLean Mill Historic Park you can reach this magic making Maven below.

Rachelle Collette

Executive Consultant

www.pressedevents.com
rachelle@pressedevents.com
(250) 730.5554

Huge LBH Collective thank you to Rachelle for taking the time to chat with us. I am very much looking forward to seeing what 2018 holds for Miss Collette and her creative team!

words by | deanna Beaudoin

Published by LBH Collective & m!Media

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