West Hampstead Wine Tastings, Spring 2007 Syllabus

Most of my blog readers are not here in the UK, but here is the text from an email I sent out a few weeks ago announcing my upcoming wine tastings that I am hosting.

Since many of you already know me as a self-professed wine snob or even a connoisseur on a good day, you shouldn’t be surprised that I’m organising a few wine tasting evenings this Spring. The idea is to put some structure around learning about wine. No matter what your level of knowledge or experience with wine, doing side-by-side comparisons improves your ability to identify varietals, styles, and correctly use those pretentious phrases like describing the ‘nose’ or the ‘legs’ of the wine to impress your dates or annoy your friends.

Each night will have a targeted theme and I will ask each person who attends to contribute £10 since I will be buying specific wines in advance. I will also have to keep the attendance of each night to about 10 people because of the size limitations of my flat.

The upcoming confirmed dates are:
Friday 20 April – The Basic Grapes and How to Taste
Friday 11 May – Regional and Stylistic Comparisons
Friday 8 June - TBD

Summary
April: The Basic Grapes and How to Taste
There are hundreds of wine varietals, but the majority of world-wide wine production is comprised of the following: (Whites) Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and (Reds) Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah/Shiraz. Most of the New World wines put the varietals on the label, but even for many regional French wines (such as Red Burgundy = Pinot Noir or Sancerre = Sauvignon Blanc) you can have a good idea of what you are going to get if you already have an idea of what that varietal tastes like. We will practise a basic tasting method for each of these seven varietals to identify differences in characteristics such as colour, body, or dryness.

May: Regional and Stylistic Comparisons
Scenario: You walk into the wine shop and see bottles of Pinot Noir from New Zealand, Burgundy, France and maybe even Washington or Oregon State in the U.S.A. This same grape is grown on opposite ends of the world, but will it, or should it taste the same? What about when a Chardonnay says it’s been aged in new French oak barrels for 12 months? Does that make it better or mean you will like it more than a Chardonnay that was fermented in a steel tank? This evening’s theme will compare the same varietals grown in different regions and/or produced in different styles to identify these similarities and differences.

June and beyond
Don’t worry; I’m not short on ideas! I just want to gauge how the first two go, and then I’ll decide on the theme for future events. Some ideas are:
- Specific Wine and Cheese Pairings – yes, there is a difference on which cheeses go with which wines and you might be surprised!
- White Sparkling Wines: Champagne, Prosecco, Cava (any excuse for some bubbly!)
- Focus on France – learn the basics of a particular wine region (i.e. Rhone Valley or Bordeaux) and start to understand what the cryptic labels can and can’t tell you about the wine

[Update: The wines for the first tasting are 85% purchased and being delivered to my house tomorrow. My PowerPoint slides are drafted up, and ready to print. *Clink*]