Tasting Notes

I apologize for the posting lag. Someone (umm, my dad) suggested that perhaps I was coming back from Wine & Beverage class too drunk to post, but alas, this is not the case. We use spit cups in class so are not actually ingesting much alcohol. Well, except for one day that Chef H. brought in some cheeses for us to taste with red wines as a special treat (above).

Today was our fifth of five days of tastings: white wines, red wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines, and beers. I've always been intrigued and intimidated by the world of wine and although I've learned a great deal over the past couple of weeks, I know I've only scratched the surface.

The biggest accomplishment that I'm taking away from this class is a firmer realization of what I like: crisp white wines, fruity reds, pretty much all sparklings, citrusy-flavored wheat beers. And then there's what I don't like: white wines that are very oaky, intense reds with lots of tannin (although I know they'd mellow out and be better with food), bitter beers with intense hops. Basically, my drinking tastes are very, very girly. I know.

Something else I just can't bring myself to love: Sherry. A couple of summers ago my family and Zack went to Spain and one day we toured the Lustau winery in Xerez, tasting a half-dozen different sherries. I was excited when the sherry we tasted in class was a Lustau wine, but unfortunately, I still didn't like it! I just can't get past the oxidized taste and smell. At the tasting in Spain, I remember being much more excited by all of the marcona almonds, dried fruit, and other snacks than the actual sherries.

I liked the other fortified wines we tasted much more: two Ports (ruby and tawny), Madiera, and Muscato d'Asti. They're sweet wines that most people associate with dessert, but Chef H. stressed that there's no such thing as "dessert wine." He claims it would be like labeling something an "entree wine" or an "appetizer wine."

I wish this class lasted longer, but I already feel like my wine knowledge has grown exponentially. As I continue to educate my drinking palate, I'm sure that I will start to appreciate wines and beers that I'm not crazy about at this moment. I apologize in advance to anyone who has to go out for dinner with me now and wait for me to assess the wine list!

Bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and Bordeaux that our class worked our way through (and, sadly, spat out into spit cups)