Course - Wine Emporium (starter course part 2)

Part Two of the Wine Emporium Starter course and tonight was Reds.
Not a bad selection and we tried a good variety of wines from a Barossa Shiraz (John Duvall 'Entity' $50) which was ultimately my favourite, over a french Cabernet Merlot (Chateau Calon Segur 3rd Growth Saint Estephe Cabernet Merlot $110) (this needed a lot more time, either in the bottle or decanting. it was very classy indeed but the shiraz just pushed my buttons)

I didn't mind the straight Grenache or the Sangiovese. Both were not something I would buy, but could appreciate.

Again Travis led a great class and I really did learn a lot about the inner workings of wine and the industry. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone that either wants exposure to some quite decent wines or just wants to learn more about this creature we call wine.

Cheers Wine Emporium

Course - Wine Emporium (starter course)

Quite an enjoyable evening drinking some quality white wine. Learning about the process and why cold climate wines are different to warmer climate wines.

The course was a good balance of tasting and comparing as well as a more informal 'school-like' learning. Smal group of around 12 people and a variety of about 10 wines from Australia, NZ and even one from France ($70 a bottle)

Now I'm not one for whites myself, but I did quite enjoy the 2006 Dog Point 'Section 94' Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. One of the more prominent of the oaked whites we tried.

Next week is the reds selection...

Price $99 for two weeks

Introduction to Wine with Wine and Food Matching by Paula Tewksbury

Did my first course yesterday with Paula Tewksbury (see here)

It went from Midday to 9pm and included a nice meal and a lot of wines. As it was my first course, I had no preconcieved ideas and was hoping to soak up as muc rudimentary knowledge as possible. I did learn a lot of things and did try a few styles of white (i still can't see myself liking it much, but gave it a go anyway)

The food matching part wasn't bad, but not really comprehensive. Still, I did learn some stuff that I did not know. And the food was good.

Nobody on the course liked any of the reds that were used. That made it a little difficult to enjoy. A little disconcerting in a way too, as they were supposed to be good wines. Meh. I may just be a little single minded when it comes to my own taste.

There were 18 people on the course from a variety of backgrounds. Paula herself seemed quite comfortable in the role of teacher and the course seemed to flow nicely without lagging.

I will endeavour to further my study in different areas, but I can't see myself looking for work in the industry. I would just like to know a lot more when I talk to fellow wine wankers. :)

Cheers Ian