When I first discovered my passion for wine, I took class after class in UC Berkeley's Wine Studies program. But my favorite was a class then called "Components of Wine," a six-week course on analyzing wine. I took it twice, once as I began to learn about wine, and again more recently. One night we covered flaws and faults. Another we blended Bordeaux varieties together to come up with a master blend. Still another we spent sniffing at vials and wine glasses, trying to identify scents in isolation and mixed with wine.
The class has since been renamed to Fundamentals of Wine II: Sensory Evaluation of Wines and Their Components, and I'm over-the-moon excited to be its instructor in the spring semester. This is a fun class, and I encourage you all to sign up if you can. Enrollment opened today, even though the class starts in April.
I have some big shoes to fill: The class has always been taught by wine expert Rebecca Chapa. But given how much I respect her as a wine educator, you can be sure that her teaching style has influenced my own. Sign up now. Sign up your friends.
