While you received a booklet which covers the history of wine, don’t worry, no memorization or test is involved! The class itself is quite laid back, I find that often wine tasting can becoming pretentious quickly – but not here.
We go through a quick walkthrough of what makes different wines different than your regular grape juice (it’s essentially the vine) and the factors that go into the production of wine, how to serve your guests and then right into the wine tasting portion.
I don’t want to give away too much of the course, but here are some takeaways I had from it:
1) The juice from both red and white grapes are clear – it’s the skin that’s left on the grapes that give it the red hue.
2) Check your screw caps to make sure it’s secure and in place, otherwise if the label is moving, there could be air making it’s way into your bottle.
3) There can be crystals in your wine (and these are ok – they’re more apparent in German Rieslings). Also, sediments can be found in ‘older’ wine, and this is the reason we decant wine.
4) The act of swirling your wine in the glass incorporates oxygen, aerating the wine to release it’s aromas.
5) Speaking of swirling your wine, remember when you were told good wine has ‘good legs’? It was once believed that it was an indication of quality, but in reality, the slower/thicker the legs move indicates more alcohol or sugar in your wine.
The class was enjoyable and you can definitely ask your instructor any of those questions you’ve been dying to ask but are too afraid to ask your sommelier. We tasted 6 different wines, starting off with whites and making our way down to reds. They pour quite generously, so if you’re not a fan of spitting your drink out, you’ll most likely get a little tipsy.
I would love to see them cover other lesser known wines (perhaps not pour them, but touch on them), but it is definitely something you can bring up and ask your instructor – I just didn’t think about it at the time I was there. I’d also love to hear some recommendations from an expert, I know there are many different types of wines, but perhaps some bottles that could get me started on my journey in wine tasting!
Overall, the tasting was informative and I felt comfortable asking questions in it’s relaxed atmosphere!
For more information on Metropolitan Bartending School of BC, check out their website here.
Disclosure: Please note that my class was comped by Metropolitan Bartending School but all opinions are my own.
