Vine to Wine: The Fundamentals Week 4

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!

Vine to Wine: The Fundamentals | Week 2

In week one, we got a basic introduction into the wine production process, and in week two we learned all about what can destroy the grapevines during that process– namely, pests and disease.

Did you know that in the 1850s botanists brought American grapevines (and their native diseases) back to Europe and ended up wiping out a significant portion of the vineyards all across the continent? Our instructor, Heath Hiudt, told us that anywhere between two-thirds and nine-tenths of French vineyards were completely wiped out in the 1860s. However, this was something of a blessing in disguise because out-of-work French wine experts dispersed to Italy, Spain and other European countries, bringing their wealth of wine production knowledge across the border and ultimately spreading the art of winemaking.

As a nature geek, I realize that not everyone may be as into talking about crop-destroying bugs as I am. (Seriously!) However, we also touched on several practical, service-oriented tips for those members of our class who would be working in the industry. How to store wine, how and when to decant, to whom you should pour first – next time I dine at a high-end restaurant I will definitely be keeping a close eye on the sommelier.

The lectures are really interesting, but my favorite part of the classes is the tasting sessions. As a “hands on” learner, I’ve found the class discussions to be the most helpful when it comes to developing a more refined palate and acute sense of smell. One thing that’s great is that Heath encourages lots of dialogue among the rest of the students – it’s very much a group conversation during the tastings versus a one-way lecture. Some of the best insight I’ve gotten when it comes to tasting notes has been from other students in the room – it’s so interesting to see how everyone smells and tastes the different qualities in each of the samples we experience.

Vine to Wine: The Fundamentals | Week 1

About me:

Hi, I’m Erin S., and I’m currently completing the best homework assignment I’ve ever been given: drinking a glass of wine.
 

It’s the evening after my first day in “Vine to Wine: Wine Fundamentals” offered by UNLV Continuing Education. I’ve always enjoyed wine, but found it difficult to articulate what exactly I liked about it, aside from generic terms like “dry” or “sweet.” However, as an enthusiastic home chef I was looking to get a better understanding of how to pair wine with food and other practical knowledge to help me better understand and enjoy what the Romans called the juice of the gods!

 

Review:

The class is held every Sunday at one of two Total Wine locations (Henderson or Summerlin) from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The classroom was a very clean, comfortable space with everything you might need to learn and taste. During the first part of the class, we went through PowerPoint slides covering the class material, and then afterward we’d do a tasting of 6 wines. We had an hour break for lunch, then came back and did it all over again – more class instruction and another tasting.

Our instructor, Heath Hiudt, was outstanding from the very first few moments, telling the class that he would assume that everyone has a beginner’s knowledge of wine and that we’d build our expertise together. There was a wide variety of knowledge in the classroom – a few casual wine drinkers myself, but also those working in the service or beverage industry. Heath is very organized and it’s obvious he has an incredible wealth of wine information, but he also makes everyone feel extremely comfortable in his presence. The world of wine is rife with jargon, and Heath made sure that everything was clearly and thoroughly explained, while also adding in a lot of humor and practical, real-world experiences. You can tell he was teaching us so that we would really get a deeper understanding of wine and apply it to our everyday lives versus worrying about “trivial pursuit” items that might be on an exam. (But there will be an exam!)

The class was very interactive and with only 15 students, everyone felt comfortable asking questions or asking for additional info. In week one, we covered the history and origins of wine, the wine production process,  the life cycle of the vine, and how to complete a comprehensive wine tasting – a format we’ll be using a lot throughout the 13 weeks!

I’ll admit, I was a little worried about having so many tastings in one day (I’m a cheap date!) but unless we were really ‘wowed’ by a wine, everyone in the class used the spittoons during the tastings. We focused on how you can use the senses to determine the grape, climate characteristics, vintage and more. If you ever told me I’d be describing wine with words like “sawdust,” “dill,” “barnyard” or “chalky,” I wouldn’t have believed you, but after one class I started to understand how to seek out those subtleties. My olfactory senses aren’t quite as good as others, but it’s a learning experience, right?

And as they say, practice makes perfect. I am happy to keep practicing and be a good student by doing my “homework!” Next week when we reconvene, we’ll bring the empty bottle of wine we chose, along with any tasting notes using terms we covered this week. Next Sunday can’t come fast enough!