Head of the Class

Last night after work I headed into Brighton to attend class with my cousin, Anna.

And not just any class.

Wine tasting class at the Boston Wine School.


(img from bostonwineschool.com)

After throwing our super fun wine tasting party a few months ago, we decided before our next one (and there will be a next one) we wanted to learn a little bit more about really technically tasting wine. Coincidentally while we were mulling this over I got an email about Jonathon Alsop's Boston Wine School and a calendar of their available classes. His classes have cute names like "Living La Vida Vino - Wines of Spain" and "Dude, Where's My Carneros?". Since Anna and I are both pretty much red wine neophytes and drink whites more often than not, we opted for the charmingly titled "Que Syrah, Shiraz" to learn a little more about an unfamilar wine.

Located on Commonwealth Ave in Brighton (a few blocks up from Harvard Ave.), The Boston Wine School is essentially a storefront that has been transformed into a cafe-style classroom with students grouping around small tables housing wine glasses, a plate of cheese, olives, bread, grapes and over snacks, a pitcher of water for rinsing your glass and, because this is a TECHNICAL wine class, a spit bucket.

Woo!

The class was a great mix of about about twenty people, young and old, wine experts and beginners, first timers and regulars. And Jonathon, who runs the school and teaches the classes makes you feel at ease right away with his down to earth and well informed yet conversational teaching style. We learned the precise way to really taste wine, tricks for describing what you smell/taste (something I am pretty terrible at. Someone might say "Hmmm, faint notes of goat cheese and green apple" and I will say something more like "Mmmm. Me like".

We sampled nine different Syrah /Shiraz (they are the same thing, did you know?) over the course of the night, discussed their scents and tastes and whether they tasted differently with some food. Anna and I definitely came away with a few favorites. Even better, the wine that was far and away the favorite of the night (2004 Jade Mountain Syrah from California) was also the most inexpensive at a very affordable $6.99 a bottle!

I was also really into the 2006 Jacob's Creek Shiraz Rosé from Australia. I love Roses, I don't care what anyone says. And I will keep forcing them on my friends and acquaintances (well until the summer is over at least).

After the class we walked over to the Brookline Liquor Mart (which is now one of my new favorite liquor store) and bought a few bottles of the Rosé and also found out about the wine tastings they offer every Saturday which we will definitely be popping back for.

We had such a blast, and felt like we learned a great deal more than at the kind of tastings where by the third glass you are half in the bag (not that there isn't a time and place for that, believe you me!).We will definitely be signing up for another class, and another, and maybe another. I encourage you, if you are interested in learning more about wine, to check out their fall semester classes. There's never been a better time to go back to school!