RECEPTIONIST (American): Good morning, Italian Wine Merchants of Seattle. How may I help you?
MAN (American): Hi, I’m calling for some information about your upcoming wine tasting events.
RECEPTIONIST: All right. Well…we hold our wine tasting sessions on the third Thursday of every month.
MAN: Oh… So I just missed the last one.
RECEPTIONIST: Unfortunately, yes. Our next one will be held on Thursday, June 20th from 6:00pm to 10:00pm.
MAN: Oh good. I’ll be able to make it.
RECEPTIONIST: Terrific. It’ll be a great night. Our theme for that event will be “Wines of Tuscany.”
MAN: I see. Um… I’ve never actually been to a wine tasting before. Do you need to have any prior knowledge about wine to attend?
RECEPTIONIST: No, that’s not necessary. A lot of people come to our events to learn the basics of wine. The sommeliers…the wine experts…will teach guests how to describe, taste, analyze and pair different wines with various types of cuisine.
MAN: Ah… so there is also food served at the events?
RECEPTIONIST: Certainly. You’ll be sampling the wines with a variety of cheeses, meats and other light appetizers. Some of the dessert wines will be paired with chocolates from a local gourmet chocolatier.
MAN: I guess I don’t need to eat dinner before I go then.
RECEPTIONIST: That’s entirely up to you.
MAN: Okay. So…do we just walk around, drink wine and eat then?
RECEPTIONIST: I’d be lying if I said some people don’t end up doing that. If you really want to educate yourself about wine, though, listen to the sommeliers as much as you can. They also provide a lot of background information on how the wines are made.
MAN: What kind of information?
RECEPTIONIST: You’ll learn how to identify which grapes are used for which wines, and learn how the type of soil can impact the flavour of the grape.
MAN: Interesting. How do we learn about the grapes and soil?
RECEPTIONIST: The sommeliers will have pictures of different soils explaining their qualities. As for the grapes, they’ll have them on hand for you to see and taste.
MAN: So…where is it going to take place on June 20th?
RECEPTIONIST: We hold our events at the Eastside Hotel’s main convention hall.
MAN: Oh. That’s quite close to my work. How much is a ticket?
RECEPTIONIST: The tickets for this event are going to be $100. This is one of our larger events, so the tickets are a little more expensive than usual. We plan to serve sixty wines.
MAN: Will we have the option of purchasing wines?
RECEPTIONIST: Absolutely. And if you become an annual member with the Italian Wine Merchants of Seattle we offer a discount of 15% on any wine you purchase at an event.
MAN: Oh, that sounds good.
RECEPTIONIST: Yeah.
MAN: Okay. How much is an annual membership?
RECEPTIONIST: An annual membership is $200. You’ll also receive a discount of 10% off the price of any event you attend.
MAN: That’s something to think about. How can I buy a ticket?
RECEPTIONIST: You can RSVP and pay with a credit card on our website.
MAN: Is it possible to pay by cash?
RECEPTIONIST: Sure. You’ll have to come down to our office to pay though.
MAN: All right. Where are you located?
RECEPTIONIST: We are located at 24 University Avenue. You can come by anytime from 2 p.m to 6 p.m or in the morning if you make an appointment.
MAN: I think I can stop by on my break tomorrow in the afternoon at 3 p.m.
RECEPTIONIST: Sure, no problem. I’d like to make it clear that your ticket is only valid on the date of the event listed. You won’t be able to exchange or redeem the ticket for another date. Lastly, no refunds will be given for unused tickets.
MAN: I understand. Thank you for the information.