Been asked to do a wine course

Just go out and speak your mind. "Wine's not rocket surgery", as you said a few threads back,

Vino To reply, add "x" between letters and numbers of e-mail address.

Rich: If you take this on.... I'd recommend that you ask for 'The Southby's Wine Encyclopedia' as the class text book....

Good Luck Mathew

Matthew,

Thank you for the personal email and the outline. I'm a little wary of opening an attachment these days, but knew I could trust you. I will use your information.

Rich

Think I figured it out thanks to Matthew and some others.

1. People need to become confident wine buyers for at home and at resturants. Just like like any field of inquiry, the vocabualry is critical. So, here is my outline:

1. Light, medium, and full. For tastings I'm doing on the white side: Reisling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. On the red side, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This will demonstrate body.

Then my next class will be on "Oaky", "Crisp", and "Fruity"

Then my next class will be on "Buttery", "Grassy", "Spicey", and maybe "Floral".

Finally I will teach how to read a wine label and pretty much predict how the wine will taste. That's how I do it. Any adjustments I need to make? Not doing "Dry vs. Sweet" at this time.

Rich

"Rich R" wrote in news:XgRqc.327$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com:

Sounds like as good an idea as any to me. I would want to make sure that they know that you can find some of the ranges within a varietal. such as Crisp- Chablis And Buttery your favorite malo lactic monster.

Add mineral notes Oh lord I am starting to feel your pain! Good luck

Quick thought on the serious side. When many of us got started with wine it was not at the level of product price and quality that we drink today.

In my case it was the Meteus Rose, Lancers.....1972 starting.

That said wine is not about snobbery or taking meticulous notes.

-Its about appreciating and enjoying the wine before you.

-When pairing wine with food many might think that is snobbery. But the reality is we pair food with food all the time. Burger with Fries, Steak and Potato, Fish and Chips, Soup and salad.....

-Some foods pair and taste great together and pair well. The same with wine.

-When it's 100 degrees outside and humid you might find your tastes in food change to the lighter side. Some wines work better with ligher food.

All this said I hope that the understanding your group has is to enjoy great food, wine and the company served with. Cause life is to short to drink cheap wine!

Enjoy our class. I did one several years back and had fun. I told all the people that wine was about sensory perceptions. That you can look at it and see color, clarity etc...then I said you can smell the wine for the nose...obererve different florals, fruit...etc.

Then I said if you use the right glasses you can even hear with wine...then lift glass to ears...you might note the room all does this...just hold yours there and listen. Eventually a bold person will say...I don't hear anything. Others might join in...its great because you can say...just wanted to see how gullable you all are.

Enjoy.

J. Coulter, you are right. Mineral would be another tasting. How about Chablis and some Sancerre to demonstate this. I don't see any red as demonstrating a mineral taste. But see how this starts to hurt the brain? New world wines are ruling the wine world. And it is pretty much about the grape and climate.

Thanks,

Rich

Thanks for all the great replies. At the end of day, I firmly believe that wine tasting is a quest for quality, whether it's in USD 10 or USD 100 price range. Wine has brought great pleasure to my life. Not so much as a beverage (I prefer vodka) but as friend with food.

Rich

"Rich R" wrote in news:h4Sqc.667$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com:

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FWIW It is supossedly the manganese that gives Moulin a Vent its particluar qualities.

Rich, I am coming to this topic rather late, but if your audience is assumed to have NO knowledge of wine I would give them a class that looks like this:

1. Grapes a. white b. red
2. Regions a. France b. Italy c. US d. Spain e. Germany f. Austria, Australia, NZ and SA

3, Types of wine a. Dry red b. Dry white c. Off-dry white d. Late harvest wines e. Botrytized wines f. Sparkling wine g. Fortified wine

1. Vinfication a. Fermentation b. Malolactic fermentation c. Aging d. Additions (acid, sugar, sulfites)
2. How to taste/consume wine a. Oxygen and wine flavors b. Proper wine glasses c. Serving temperature d. How open/serve wine e. Food and wine
3. Versions of popular grapes a. Chardonnay (California, Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, Cote D'Or, Chablis) b. Sauvignon Blanc (Loire, Bordeaux, New Zealand, California) c. Pinot Gris (Alsace, Friuli, Oregon) d. Riesling (Germany, Alsace, Austria, New Zealand) e. Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux, California, Italy, Spain, Australia) f. Pinot Noir (Burgundy, Oregon, New Zealand, California) g. Syrah (Rhone, Australia, California, Chile)

To me, comparitive tasting is the surest way to drive home the message of terroir, the role of the grape and the winemaker in producing the finished product. You could also add an "International Style" to your tasting list to demonstrate how vinification can drown out all other factors in producing the final product.

Mark Lipton

Thanks Mark,

Your outline was much more than I expected. I will use many of your points. After much thought I am thinking of drinking first. Let's get to know "body" , "oaky", "spicey", et al. The point I want to get across to my students is that wine tasting is a never-ending quest for quality. And that they can become confident wine buyers. Whether they are at the USD 10 a bottle or USD

75, there are great wines at every price point.

Why don't you do a wine course?

Rich