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Blind Sommelier Amy Dixon Hosts Wine Tasting for Guiding Eyes Fundraiser

Through their various senses, people raise money for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Amy Dixon, a graduate of the Guiding Eyes of the Blind in Yorktown, wanted to give something back to the organization that gave her Elvis, her guide dog and companion.

On Sept. 12, the "Blind Sommelier," as she is known, gave a wine tasting at Guiding Eyes for more than 100 guests. Guests were invited to sample eight wines from many regions around the world as Dixon taught them how to use their senses to truly appreciate each wine.  

Dixon, who has traveled the world, to hone her craft is currently the fine wine buyer for Stew Leonard's, one of the northeast's most well-known food store chains.

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She walked the guests through the ways to swirl wine, check for color, smell, taste and touch. Dixon told everyone that tastebuds are not only on the tongue, but on the roof of our mouths and cheeks. She said women are better tasters than men because they have more tastebuds. She also explained that different wines have different alcohol levels.

"Generally speaking sweet wines have low alcohol content compared to dry wines which have higher alcohol levels," she said.

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When Dixon asked everyone to sniff their wine after swirling it counterclockwise , which lets oxygen in, she asked what people could smell in the wine. Explaining that there is no right or wrong answer, she said everyone has their own smell palette in their brain. As one takes in more scents, he or she can add to the smell palette and can find more nuances in the wines.

She used the Punta Pays Viognier from France as an example, saying, "Viognier is known by the French as 'Eau du Viognier' due to its intense aromatics of white peaches and apricot nectar and honeysuckle."  

Dixon had a witty banter that went with each wine selection giving new wine tasters and experts alike an informative and enjoyable afternoon. She also shared her appreciation for Guiding Eyes. She explained how she and her dog Elvis were paired, saying "It's like Match.com on steroids."

Dogs and their companions are matched for everything from temperament to career to age, just to name a few. Earlier in the day, visitors were given a tour of the kennels and saw puppy training demonstrations. Board member Susan Litwer of Mamaroneck explained that Guiding Eyes uses no government funds and runs all its programs based on fundraising and grants. The wine tasting was the first of this type of fundraiser.

"Students come to Guiding Eyes from around the world, free of charge," Litwer said. 

She pointed to their golf outing, the oldest in Westchester County, as the not-for-profit's key fundraiser each year. According to Nancy Lithrop, director of special gifts, it costs $45,000 to train each guide dog. The training begins with puppy raisers who care for the dog the first year of its life. Eileen Curtin, a resident of Manhattan, has raised three guide dogs. She said that she and her husband attended the event because she was intrigued by the brochure.

"Amy's story is so inspirational," she said. "I wanted to see her in person. We love wine…I think this was well done."  

Curtin, with her eyes tearing, talked about raising the puppies.

"Talk about feeling that you have done something worthwhile," she said. "You are giving such a gift with these dogs."

She said she keeps in touch with people who have the dogs she raised. The dogs that don't become guide dogs are still used as service dogs, but go into the Heeling Autism program which places them with children with autism. 

Guiding Eyes has relationships with other organizations that use dogs, such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Guiding Eyes also started Heeling for Autism in 2008.

Maureen Mellett, instructor for Heeling for Autism, explained dogs that are more passive, placid and calm, but still strong enough to handle a child go into service training for this program. The benefits have been even more remarkable than originally expected, she said.

Dogs get trained to aid children to stay, and parents have pointed to better focus, nonverbal children beginning to have conversations about their dogs, and children sleeping through the night because of the dog's companionship and sensory input.

President of Guiding Eyes, Bill Bayer, thanked everyone for attending  the event. He explained they had completed phase I of a three-part project to create the most effective training program possible for all their dogs. Known as STEP (the Successive Training and Enrichment Program), is changing the way Guiding Eyes handles puppy training and is considered to be on the cutting edge.

According to their annual report, "STEP focuses on building healthy, mutual one-on-one relationships between puppies and people. The unique program had already raised $2 million and was now in the process of raising the next $6 million for phases II and  III. The next two phases will enable Guiding Eyes to build a new Canine Development center which will grow from 16,000 square feet to 30,0000 square feet.

For more information on Guiding Eyes or to make a donation, visit www.guidingeyes.org. To learn more about Amy Dixon and her wine recommendations, her blog at blindsommelier.blogspot.com

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