Bell peppers, barnyards, and brix - Back to school!

photo by TEP

The man standing in front of the room asked the attendees in  room what did the taste. The room was silent. The man asked again what did we taste, and encouraged people to speak up.  A few people offered ideas - the man responded with a quick "no" to the feedback until someone said "plum". The man's face lit up and he gushed "yes!".  I looked at the glass  of wine and then at the man in the front of the room. I didn't taste plum. Not even a sliver. I tasted cherries.  I didn't say anything more, but began to wonder if perhaps I was starting to come down with a cold or be affected by seasonal allergies.

I was well aware that wine tasting and  wine selection can be intimidating and overwhelming. When dining with friends many times we'd defer to the server for recommendations. I'd been on dates where my date ordered a bottle of wine for the table, followed by a ceremonious opening of the bottle, presentation of the cork and a small pour of the wine was presented to my date. Several years ago,  I received a copy of "Wine for Dummies" as a gift from a friend. I originally was primarily a white wine drinker, but had grown to enjoy reds. Whether white or red I preferred dry versus sweet.  It was time to get a better handle on how to identify and taste wines, especially now that the  Technicolor dining blog featured descriptions of wine dinners and other wine related events.

photo by TEP

photo by TEP

Which course should I enroll in? Online course? In person course? Weekend course? After reading syllabi and chatting with people in my network, including The Illustrated Wine,  I signed up for The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 certificate course taught by  Capital Wine School  The course description: The class covers the major wine producing regions of the world, major wine grapes, factors affecting quality and style, grape growing , and basic winemaking practices. The course emphasizes tasting assessment, and the skills required to describe the aromas and tastes of wine. During each class you will taste eight to nine wines.

The course runs for six weeks, the class meets once a week. The final class is a multiple choice exam. I've already checked with the Capital Wine School - they have a 95 percent pass rate.

I start the course today. I invite you to follow my return to the classroom. In six weeks I hope to have the skills required to describe the aromas of wine and tastes of wine (e.g. bell peppers, barnyard and brix count). 

 Wish me success!


 Be well,
Technicolor girl

image created by Ink+ LLC