WESTCHESTER
WINE SCHOOL, LLC |
quote: “In
water one sees one’s own face, but in wine one beholds the heart
of another.” French proverb |
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2 Saturday Intensive (and fun) Wine Workshops Designed for the wine lover for whom Saturday is a convenient time to explore at length the two most important aspects of wine - its sensory enjoyment and the major grapes and regions from which it comes.
This class covers the following two subjects:
We will explore the principal tastes and textures of wine, learn the vocabulary, and discover and refine our taste preferences.
The class begins with a tasting exercise in which you will experience the effect on your palate of sweetness, acidity, tannin, and alcohol. We will go on to taste wines that exhibit these taste characteristics so that you become accustomed to identifying these tastes in wine. These sensory experiences will be matched with the vocabulary used to describe wine. By the end of the class you will have both an intellectual and sensory grasp of what it means when a wine is described as, "off-dry, crisp, green, harsh, astringent, full-bodied, concentrated, smooth, silky, light, lush, rustic or tannic". .
We will also smell several defective wines to identify the most common wine faults: wines that are corked, oxidized, or affected by volatile acidity.
The grape is a unique fruit because of its many flavor components - over 200 aromas have been identified in different grapes. This class will focus on the major "families" of grape aromas, the difference between aroma, bouquet and flavor, how flavors and tastes join to create a particular wine style, and the difference between Old World and New World wine styles.
The class will begin with a tasting exercise in which a number of aromas and flavors are experienced. Then these aromas will be associated with the 8-10 wines served. At the same time as noting the aromas of the wines, we will note the tastes and textures of the wines and how they combine with the aromas to create a wine style.
The idea of wine styles helps to organize and clarify the thousands of wines out there. It also allows us to distinguish what's typical about New World versus Old World wines.
We will taste wines from the world's principal grape varieties and discuss what is distinctive about them. We will compare them side by side, taste examples from different countries, and learn about the grapes, their reputation, growing habits, and typical food pairings. We will use helpful tasting charts and try blind tasting to form a clearer sensory picture of each variety. The principal grape varieties will include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.
The wines will come from the principal wine regions of the world. We will identify these, what is distinctive about each and how that influences their style of wine. Wines will be served from important regions in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, United States, Australia, New Zealand and Chile. You will come away with a working knowledge of the major grape varieties and regional grape styles, and a better understanding of the concept of terroir - the local climate, geography, soil, and culture that go into making a wine like no other.
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