California - Day 3 (CIA Mastering Wine 1 Class)

"The" day is here.  Mastering Wine Tasting 1 at the Culinary Institute of America with Karen MacNeil.  I'm so excited to learn more about wine.  On the drive from our hotel to the CIA we pass wineries that are open until 6 and 6:30.  I'm making mental notes of where to stop and taste after class.  Nothing like putting what I learned into practice. 

The day begins so easy breezy.  First we register and are sent to the students kitchen for breakfast.  The food was nice, and light.  Tasty.  Then we are escorted to class in the Rudd Center.  

We walk into the classroom and wine glasses are lined up at our seats, along with water crackers, and bottled water.  My excitement builds. 

Class starts and Karen MacNeil begins discussing  wine tasting and wine characteristics.  She then has us taste the two white wines in front of us.  We swirl, sniff, sip, analyze, and discuss.  The objective was for Karen to observe  how we tasted and analyzed (unbeknown to us - quite sneaky), and it was the springboard for Karen to teach us how to taste.  Okay, so far so good, and I might add FUN.

Class discussion continues regarding body, acidity, texture, flavors, and length/finish.  Then seven white wines are poured for a blind tasting.  Our objective - taste the wines and analyze their characteristics so we can discuss them and determine what varietal they are.  I think, "what fun".  So once again, for glass 1, swirl, sniff, sip, analyze, discuss.   Reveal the varietal.  (Yup, fun.)  Now glass 2; swirl, sniff, sip, analyze, discuss.  Reveal the varietal. (Yes, this is great and a learning experience.)  On to 3, but ... we don't reveal the varietal we taste glass 1 and compare them to each other.  Still no reveal, on to glass 4.  Then taste glass 3 and compare to 4.  Now taste 2 and compare to 4.  This continues and we taste, taste, taste, swirl, sniff, sip, analyze and discuss.  This is fun, a learning experience, and now WORK.  You find with each sip you really ponder what is going on with the wine.  What is the body?  Level of acidity?  A mental checklist of possible flavors are running through your mind.  Was it pineapple?  Maybe melon?  Spice? With each question you go back and swirl, sip, and analyze. When all is finally revealed we leave for lunch. 

Lunch is in the student kitchen.  The student chefs did a phenomenal job and the food was very good.  After lunch back to the classroom. 

The afternoon is now focusing on red wines.  Red wine characteristics are discussed and we blind taste 6 red wines.  The same process is followed as for the white wines.  You are again running the checklist through your mind and trying to determine every possible nuance. 

Lastly, we are partnered up (and I'm not with my husband) for a blind tasting of 3 red wines.  One person has their wine labeled with a color, the other has their wine labeled with a symbol.  Objective, taste the wines, analyze the characteristics, discuss with your partner (using the language of wine) and match up the color and symbol for the wine and determine the varietal.  Easy you say?  Not so much.  Aside from  our tasting to determine what our wines are, we then have to taste, taste, and taste again as we discuss our wines so we can compare and match up our wines (color to symbol).  Then taste, taste, and taste again to determine the varietal.  The only wine I had to taste once (okay twice at most) was the Cabernet.  That had so much tannin my palette shut down and I just knew it was a Cab.

Let me tell you this class was exhausting!  When I go to distributor wine tastings I NEVER spit.  It just isn't in me. There's something about spitting I don't like. Not to mention it's not "pretty".  I now spit!  There is only so much wine one can taste.  This was a definitely a GREAT learning experience, but more than anything it was very HUMBLING! 

You know the mental list I made in the morning of the wineries that were open until 6 and 6:30?  Dave and I were all wined out and NOT going to them.   No more wine for today.  But wait!  Our homework is to taste a grape/varietal we've never had.  UGH!  More  wine?!  Not to mention, "there's a varietal out there I haven't tasted?" 

Dave and I leave class and head to the grocery store for a varietal we never tasted.  Seriously, there's a varietal I've never tasted?  Lo and behold we find two wines.  One was a Jacare and the other a blend of Colombard and Ungi Blanc.  I've at least heard of Colombard (but the homework was a varietal not tasted), but Jacare and Ungi Blanc? Odd names. We purchased the later (it was less expensive) and off to dinner (NO wine) and then to the hotel room to taste our blend.