Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift? How about a cool six-week-long UC Berkeley Extension wine course in San Francisco, starting in early April? You might think this is a hard gift to find, but you'd be wrong. Click the link, pull out your credit card, and taste wine with me.
I'm putting together my syllabus, and I wanted to share the top-level class descriptions with you so that you can see how much fun you'll have.
- Class 1: Your Tongue Tastes...
Discover how different amounts of acid, sugar, tannins, and alcohol affect the taste, feel, and structure of a wine. Then taste typical store wines, and describe where each one falls on the line of acidity, sweetness, tannin, and alcohol levels. - Class 2: ...But Your Nose Knows
Smell through countless vials, and try to identify the items hidden within. Smell some of those items immersed in glasses of wine. Then smell varietal wines typical of their grapes, and identify the scents in the glass. - Class 3: Pew! What Is That Stink?
Learn to identify some of the most common faults in a bottle of wine. Learn that one wine's fault can be another's feature. - Class 4: How Much Wood...?
Learn about the effect of oak on wine. Taste wines made with French, American, new, and old barrels. Compare to wines made in stainless steel tanks, and learn how barrels are made. - Class 5: Become A Terroirist
Terroir, the idea that wine has a sense of place, is one of the industry's big buzzwords. Is it real? Or is it bunk? You'll taste similar wines from different geographies and learn how the complex mix of soil and sun can shape the fruit. - Class 6: Go On A Blender
Make your own Bordeaux blend. You'll have varietal wines from each of the major Bordeaux grapes, and you'll have to mix them to your taste.
