Wine isn’t just something you pour in your glass on special
occasions – for some, it’s cutthroat, “life-and-breathe-it” lifestyle.
Before I go any further, take a look at this video trailer
for “Somm,” a film about the trials and tribulations of master sommelier
candidates.
Needless to say, those are some dedicated students with very
high stress levels who have more wine knowledge than most people will come across
in a lifetime. We viewed this trailer in class during one of the breaks and the
general consensus was that these somms-in-training were on the extreme end of
the spectrum.
One thing I’ve really enjoyed about the class is that the
subject matter has endless possibility. If you’re really interested in a specific
varietal, you can learn about the ideal growing conditions, winemaking
techniques, blending, look, smell and taste. But beyond that, you can study
food pairings, service notes, notable regions, sub-regions, districts and even
specific vineyards. So for those of us in the class who really want to dive
deep, the opportunity is there. And for those of us who simply want to deepen
our enjoyment of wine (like me), we’ll get plenty of information to be able to
hold our own in a conversation.
This week we reviewed fortified wines like sherry and port.
This was especially interesting for me since sherry is my grandmother’s
nightcap of choice and port was my grandfather’s. The type of sherry we tasted
was not my style (thank goodness for spittoons) but when I got home I was
inspired to dig out one of our bottles of port from our last trip to Sonoma.
Like the film says, Wine is “living art, and you can’t appreciate
it unless you consume it.” Bottoms up!
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