Making The Move – May 2014

 Jim Henderson President of William C. Huff Companies and national speaker for estate downsizing and lifestyle transitions

Jim Henderson
President of William C. Huff Companies and national speaker for estate downsizing and lifestyle transitions

Over the past few years, our company has evolved into a logistics specialist for estate owners who have museum quality art, priceless heirlooms and expensive wine  collections. Just as we have engaged our staff in training for handling priceless art from conservation experts Gordon Lewis of The Fine Art Conservancy and Mervin Richards from the National Gallery of Art, we also felt compelled to become experts in handling fine wine collections.

Recently, our company hosted Claude Robbins, founder of the International Wine Guild, to present a series of “wine pairings” in West Palm Beach, Miami and Naples. In addition to the educational wine tastings and pairings, Robbins trained our staff in proper wine handling and storage. We learned a great deal about wine that many  connoisseurs may not even know.

I learned that in Europe most wine is actually created to be paired with a very specific food but in America, wine is produced primarily to be consumed. As I learned about the three types of wine pairing – complementing, contrasting and marrying, I quickly realized how much more there was to learn. For example, in marrying a wine to a particular course, the same wine should be used in cooking as is served with that course. Robbins noted a chef in Paris used an ultra-expensive Rothschild wine to “marry” a course when preparing his meal. Personally, I always thought that I was supposed to use the “cheap” wine for cooking but now know better.

Some other fascinating facts: more than 50 percent of all wines over 15 years old are probably bad and American wines have a shelf-life of less than 10 years. The most destructive thing to wine, over time, is vibration. Truck traffic or even road vibration from other vehicles near your home can turn wine bad in a matter of months.

At William C. Huff Companies, we are installing shock proof flooring in our new wine storage area inside our warehouse to prevent vibrations and ensure best practices are utilized.

There is much more to learn about wine and the best way to be educated is to go to the experts, I suggest visiting www.internationalwineguild.com. If you have a chance to  chat with Robbins or any of his staff, mention the William C Huff Companies as we are planning on co-sponsoring several two-day educational seminars in Naples this coming fall.

Comprehensive Logistics for Elite Estates
Offices in Naples, FL and Barrington, NH
800.231.3557 or 239.263.8081
jim@wchuffmoving.com – www.wchuffmoving.com

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