Hey guys, Kiara here! I am so excited to announce the start of my monthly blog about our Educational Courses! What a start, I have been so grateful for the positive response to our first 3 courses. If you missed them, those courses were Vine to Wine, The Art of Wine Tasting, and Sparkling Wine 101. All three classes were done virtually and (I am happy to say) SUCCESSFULLY! We are living in a crazy time, so I was definitely in need of some positivity and boy did these classes bring it!
Vine to Wine is a series we have done seasonally in the past and want to continue to grow! This season’s Vine to Wine was a virtual tour and break down of Spring in the vineyard. Brian Robison, our Tasting Room Manager and resident Botanist, spoke about the journey vines take from winter dormancy into bud break and how the grapes form from there and lead into veraison. He also lead us through various steps taken in the vineyard to ensure a healthy growing season, as well as breakdowns of how vines are planted and the anatomy of the vines. Brian is incredibly knowledgeable in the vineyard, he is my go to source for any question I have regarding vines! I am happy to say that we will be hosting a vineyard tour with Brian every major season; next major season for the vines will be approaching Harvest. Harvest time ranges depending on the weather, so we will have a more accurate date prediction for you as we move through summer and track the maturation of the grapes. Hopefully we can have a small group in person come that tour, but to not get my hopes up we will call it a virtual tour for now!
The Art of Wine Tasting is a brand spanking new course series lead by ME! Many of you may know, I am currently studying for my second exam (August 3) within the Court of Master Sommeliers, when I was working in the tasting room, customers often asked me how I train my palate to detect the structural aspects and flavors within a wine. With that in mind, I started this series off with a course on the correct way to critically taste wine. I explained the specific places on your that you perceive the various structural components of wine, so I took attendees through a few different styles of wine and broke down how to critically taste them. I also let everybody in on my secret to training my nose and palate to detect flavors… smell and taste EVERYTHING! I smell as many fruits, vegetables and even rocks as I physically can, more so during non-COVID times. If you are interested in training your palate and learning more of the art and science behind wine tasting, stay tuned. I intend to continue and grow this series with courses pointed at specific varietals, themes or even parts of the world.
Our most recent class was Sparkling Wine 101, was lead by a great friend of mine, Bridget West. Bridget is brilliant, she is a Certified Sommelier, Master of Champagne, Advanced WSET and French Wine Scholar. I had taken a class from her before and knew she was the perfect fit for this class. At brunch time last Saturday, Bridget discussed the history of Champagne as well as the various styles of sparkling wine, the correct glassware to use and different gadgets one might need to truly enjoy. We even discussed our favorite cocktails that use Champagne or Sparkling Wine as one of the main ingredients, while enjoying my personal favorite, an Aperol Spritz! If you are interested in keeping up with Bridget, follow her on instagram @poisedpalate or subscribe to her blog, Glamorous Gourmet Girl. I look forward to bringing in more friends of mine from the industry to talk wine with you all.
Our next class will be our first “how to” course with our very own, Chef Luke! On July 17th, he will be virtually teaching us how to make a proper and delicious charcuterie board! Charcuterie is actually my husband’s favorite “meal”, so I will be paying extra close attention myself! See you then, cheers!
