Wine Studies

Designed for adults who are beginning to study wine seriously and want to enhance their interest in wine, improve their sensory awareness and abilities to evaluate and describe wines. Practical and aesthetic aspects will be discussed including, winemaking and its influences on style, understanding labels, wine buying and storage, matching wine to food, an overview of grapes, how to taste wine, and major wine regions. A range of wines will illustrate each evening’s lecture topics with emphasis on currently available, premium California wines with some European counterparts. Separate evenings will be devoted to chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and sparking wines.

Understanding the world of wine seems so complicated. Wine labels are confusing, and everyone has a different opinion about what is best. Through lectures, tasting and discussion, we will explore the legendary regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany, and others. Discover and taste new and amazing wines emerging from Spain, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Chile and more.

Do you want to start your own wine collection based on your own interests and preferences? In this wine tasting class, you will study the history of specific grapes from various regions and learn about the effect of climate on grape growing and wine production as well as the normal longevity of wines and how wines should be stored. The complementary relationship between food and current vintages is also covered. Gain a fundamental understanding of wine making, tasting and production so you can begin to collect and store wines for future consumption and enjoyment.

Food and wine, the perfect marriage? Like all marriages, the pairing of food and wine can have its moments of doubt. There are certain rules to enable everyone to enjoy food and wine without having to be structured with "red wine with red meat and white wine with fish and poultry." These classes will pursue the idea of pairing what we want to eat with the wines we want to drink. The ingredients and tastes of wine will be identified and then tied into foods commonly and less commonly eaten. The class will follow how our perceptions of combinations change as we taste wine and food separately and then alternately. As a result of this, the class will learn to identify what makes tastes change as the wine and the food is tasted. Why some dishes have to be cooked quickly and others slowly, to bring out the mutually compatible elements. Why some cheeses are better with red wine and others with white wine.

What do you do when you've gotten reservations at a four-star restaurant and the maitre d' hands you a 50-page wine list that looks like an unabridged dictionary? Do you go ahead and order the most expensive bottle and hope you've done the right thing? Do you close your eyes and throw a mental dart at the list? Do you ask the waiter for advice, or the sommelier? What if you have never heard of any of the wines? Is Macon Lugny red or white? And isn't Dolcetto d'Alba an opera you once slept through? This experiential two-evening course takes the anxiety out of one of life's great pleasures - a restaurant meal. Ordering wine from a restaurant list or buying wine in a store today can be very challenging, given the huge number of wine choices, both domestic and imported. This course will demystify the wine ordering process. You'll learn how to read a wine list with confidence, choose quality wines at any price level, pronounce imported wine names and choose the right wine to pair with any cuisine. We'll taste and discuss 8 to 10 wines at each session, including Old and New World selections.

Explore the history of the wine producing areas of Europe and study similar wines from non-European countries. Wines from these areas are compared by considering the grapes used as well as the similarities of climate and culture. Throughout the course, you can record similarities and create your own personal library of various tasting experiences. The food and history of the wine producing areas are discussed and incorporated into the lectures to provide an overall appreciation of the wine tasted and give you confidence when selecting your wines for specific foods.

While we all love our French Bordeaux, Italian Barolo and Spanish Rioja, there is more to European wine than those familiar classics. This class is for experienced students of wine who want to learn about the latest in European wines. There has been a quality revolution in Spanish wines, an explosion of Italian wines and some great recent vintages of German wines. You'll also explore the latest in French wine regions and look at upcoming regions such as Austria, Portugal and Greece.

Where do the original Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines come from? More than any other fine wine region, Burgundy claims a longer history and the most intensive study of vineyards which define the word terroir. This course will cover the history and appellation system of Burgundy as well as the five main regions of Chablis, the Cote d' Or, the Cote Chalonnaise, the Maconnais and Beaujolais. Explore the climate and soils of these regions, as well as winemaking methods which result in unique expressions of these flagship grape varieties.

This wine tasting class will cover the history, wine regions, climate information, weather patterns, types of grapes grown and general information on each of the three countries studied. Since South Africa was settled first in the 17th century, it will serve as a benchmark to Australia and New Zealand's development of their wine industries from settlement in the late 18th century to today. Wines from each county will be served, identifying the grapes introduced and their sources, and how the wines differ from their "home county/source" wines. Information on foods that are indigenous to the areas will be shared as well as ethnic backgrounds of the early settlers that affected wine production.

California may produce 90% of all the wine made in the U.S., but today some of the most exciting wines on the scene are coming out of Oregon and Washington State. They took decades to ripen, but the quality and reputation of Pacific Northwest wines are rising. In fact, Washington is the second largest wine producing state, with many of its wines earning 100 point scores from the top critics, and Oregon is not far behind. Not mere copycats of California, Oregon and Washington each have their own distinctive wine growing areas--Oregon is America's Burgundy and Washington is America's Bordeaux. So if you like world-class Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, come with me to explore the Pacific Northwest. We will also look at the newest wine regions on the horizon--Canada and Idaho.

What do you do when you've gotten reservations at a four-star restaurant and the maitre d' hands you a 50-page wine list that looks like an unabridged dictionary? Do you go ahead and order the most expensive bottle and hope you've done the right thing? Do you close your eyes and throw a mental dart at the list? Do you ask the waiter for advice, or the sommelier? What if you have never heard of any of the wines? Is Macon Lugny red or white? And isn't Dolcetto d'Alba an opera you once slept through? This course takes the anxiety out of one of life's great pleasures - a restaurant meal. Ordering wine from a restaurant list or buying wine in a store today can be very challenging, given the huge number of wine choices, both domestic and imported. This course will demystify the world of wine. You'll learn how to read a wine list with confidence, choose quality wines at any price level, pronounce imported wine names and choose the right wine to pair with any cuisine. We'll taste and discuss eight wines, including Old and New World selections.

Are you ready to drink wines made with craft, not chemicals? Over the past decade, there's been a tremendous advancement in the cultivation of organically grown grapes. Many wineries in the U.S. and overseas use varying methods of organic, biodynamic and sustainable winemaking, but they don't tell you that on the label. Until recently, organic wines brought to mind images of scruffy Birkenstock-wearing vintners weeding through scraggly vineyards and producing substandard wine. Today, the number of wineries using healthy and environmentally-friendly practices are staggering -- and the wines they produce are astonishing. You'll be surprised and delighted to taste these gorgeous "green" wines. And as an extra benefit, they're additive- and pesticide-free.

Spain is one of the most important countries in the world of wine with the largest acreage planted to vines. Spanish wines are among the most popular and fast-growing imports into the U.S. due to its food-friendly style, unique varietals, value proposition, and being a producer of a wide-range of wines from light-bodied white wines, full-bodied reds, earthy sparkling and dry to sweet fortified wines. This course will provide an overview of Spanish grape varietals, wine quality factors and appellation system, as well as explore in depth the main regions of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rias Baixas, Cava and Sherry.

Drinking sparkling wine regularly is an easy way to keep that festive mood alive year-round. Discover how it's made, where it's made, who's making the best, and how to buy world-class champagne and sparkling wine. Through tasting and discussion, explore the best sparkling wine regions of the world and how to identify them by taste. Discover what makes champagne, "Champagne," and explore whether or not Champagne merits its reputation as the #1 sparkling wine in the world.