10 things I learned at a wine tasting class

I attended a wine tasting (I think they called it an “education” class) this past Sunday after buying a Groupon. It was hosted by Andy Gonzales, also known as the “DaVineGuy” at The Wine Therapist in Lakewood where they have a great variety of bottles to purchase. Andy looked a bit like John Tuturro and was super knowledgeable about wines, pairings and clearly loved talking about them.

After 10 tastings and a plethora of information, here are 10 things I learned:

1. Never taste wine with cheese. The dairy actually clogs your palette’s ability to really taste the wine. At our class we had bread pieces and water.

2. If a wine is dry, it’s called “tannin”. So instead of telling your waiter, sommellier, etc that you don’t want a dry wine, you ask for a wine that is less tannin.

3. There is Champagne wine from California that is $5 and tastes like Moscato. It’s only sold at Goody Goody.

4. “Sweet” isn’t a word typically used to describe wine. Words like “fruity”, “floral” and “acidic” are much more focused and can help anyone helping you pick out a bottle/glass a wine get one that you will like.

5. Sometimes the smell of the wine tastes very different that what it tastes like. We smelled a wine that reminded me of chocolate covered cherries. I was in love. Tasted the complete opposite. Don’t be fooled by the smell, taste always.

6. Moscato, Reislings, Spumantes and other more fruity wines pair really well with spicy foods. Haven’t tried it personally, but a pairing I would’ve never thought of.

7. 10 wines are a lot to taste in one sitting.

8. I want to go on another wine tour. Our instructor Andy hosts one called Texas Wineaux Tours.

9. If you don’t like to try a variety of wines (even if there are some you know you won’t like), don’t attend a wine tasting class.

10. Evernote is a very cool app on iPhone and Android where you can take pictures and record wines (aside from other things of course) that you like. That way you’re not stuck with “um, I like sweet wines” when asked what kind of wine you want.

 

So there it is. I must say that it was a Sunday well spent and I think my husband even enjoyed it (which is a plus for him as I had to peel him away from Sunday Football).

If you’ve never done a wine tasting class I highly recommend it. you get to taste some wine, learn about the grapes and regions where it’s made and hopefully discover a new favorite wine.

If you are interested in the class I took, the website is www.great-tastes.com

Have any of you taken one? What did you think?