Wine School

on February 22, 2009

We had so much fun at our local wine superstore (Total Wine) today! For Valentine’s Day, I gave the Husband two tickets to the "California Dreamin’ – Wines from Napa Valley" class. Since we just went to Napa for our honeymoon (Part I and Part II of the honeymoon recaps), the especially was especially fun!

According to Total Wine, the Four S’s of wine tasting are:

Swirl
Sniff
Sip
Spit… which should really be swallow. 🙂

This was our classroom! I kind of felt like I was in college again.

We tried 8 different wines:

Dominican Oaks Sauvignon Blanc (I rated this a 87/100 points)
Beaucanon Chardonnay (88)
Titus Chardonnay (92 — this was supreb!)
Napa Wine Company Zinfandel (92)
Avenel Cellars Red Wine Blend (89)
Courtney Benhan Cabernet Sauvignon (93)
Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon (91)
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon (94)

And we learned tons of fun Napa Valley facts:

Napa Valley is only 5 miles wide and 30 miles long.
There are 43,000 acres of vineyards (only 1/8 the size of Bordeaux, France)
4% of California’s total protection
Temperatures fluctuate as much as 15 degrees from the north to the south of the valley. This is due to the rolling fog, which cools the south and rarely reaches to the north.

They even gave us snacks:

Which we ate a LOT of!

French bread, pepperoni, cheese, etc.

We enjoyed class very much! It was an entertaining and delicious 2 hours. 🙂

The Husband bought 5 bottles with a gift card I also gave him for Valentine’s Day.

Which means the 18 bottle wine fridge is officially full. My Husband is obsessed. He needs to start drinking these wines!

Dinner tonight was totally fueled by my drunkenness + the fact that I ran 12.0 miles this morning!

Yea… that’s breakfast for dinner again. 3 pieces of WW French toast, maple syrup, and 1/2 an apple with some pumpkin butter.

Do you love wine as much as we do? I must say — you all know I’m a generally healthy gal, but I LOVE a good beer or glass of vino. Especially on a Sunday!

Sleep tight!

{ 39 comments }

Matt February 22, 2009, 5:20 pm
I don’t drink wine! I do love breakfast for dinner though!
VeggieGirl February 22, 2009, 5:22 pm
Breakfast-for-dinner = perfection.
HangryPants February 22, 2009, 5:23 pm
I actually wish I liked wine more than I do.

This was an awesome present though.
Kimberly February 22, 2009, 5:33 pm
I’ve never had a beer (could never get past the smell!), but I do enjoy a glass (or two) of wine at restaurants, or in front of the TV with friends. My all-time favorite is Nora albarino, which I was introduced to at Seasons 52 of all places! 🙂
A Toronto girl out West February 22, 2009, 5:33 pm
Wow! Your husband scored big time for V-Day – that’s an awesome present!!!

And I quite like wine. But mainly ’cause I associate it with friends and laughter. I’m heading to Vancouver (where most of my friends live) in a couple of weeks so I’m sure I’ll indulge then! :oP Better hit the gym hard in preparation!
Sharon February 22, 2009, 5:38 pm
What a fun day! I agree- why spit when you can swallow?!

Congrats on the 12 miler! You did awesome 🙂
Laura February 22, 2009, 5:48 pm
Yes. I love wine! That class looks like it was a lot of fun.

Breakfast for dinner is always good!
sarah February 22, 2009, 6:09 pm
oh YUM — that is my kind of class! looks like so much fun. also — we're headed to napa for some much needed r&r in may . . . i'm emailing you a question!
Mo February 22, 2009, 6:13 pm
Love, love, love wine! I have a glass every night and think it helps me enjoy dinner and take my time with eating, because I’m more conscious of the flavor blending, and enjoying every bite/sip. 🙂

Your class sounds like fun!
Mica February 22, 2009, 6:20 pm
I don’t like wine too much, but I like it best out of the various alcohols!

(I LOVE breakfast for dinner–more than wine!)

I went to a wine-tasting class at the Paris museum of Å“nologie, and it all went over my head. The woman teaching the class actually said, “No, you’re wrong.” a couple of times when we tried to describe the wine flavors. FAIL.
inmytummy February 22, 2009, 6:23 pm
That is a really cool idea – the wine class, I mean. I like wine but don’t know that much about it. I do consider myself to be kind of a beer snob however.
Erin February 22, 2009, 6:29 pm
Love wine. I have since the first sip. I think its just like that for some people.
I also love breakfast for dinner. Yum.
Lori February 22, 2009, 6:33 pm
Have you been to the Lakeridge Winery in Orlando?? They have tours you can take and see the wine-making while enjoying sips here and there! They even have hot wine+spices. I enjoyed it a lot 🙂
Ryan (chasing daylight) February 22, 2009, 6:33 pm
Aw! That looks like so much fun! I’d love to take a wine class. I love wine, but would really love to learn more!
redheadyellowdog February 22, 2009, 6:33 pm
I’m sippin on some wine right now 🙂

breakfast for dinner = primo for Sunday night
Meg February 22, 2009, 7:05 pm
I have never been much of a wine person, but my mom loves it! Looks like a fun day!
ksgoodeats February 22, 2009, 7:09 pm
Wine and french toast = what a Sunday!! Sounds fabulous 🙂

I’m a lover of all fine spirits – wine is certainly in the top three 😉
Angel's Food February 22, 2009, 7:18 pm
I heart wine 🙂
Brandi February 22, 2009, 7:20 pm
looks like a fun time and a good V-day gift!

i love good beer and wine!
jenngirl February 22, 2009, 7:43 pm
I LOVE wine!! I’m jealous of y’all’s stocked up fridge!
Becky February 22, 2009, 7:53 pm
What a great Valentine’s Day gift! I love wine or a good glass of beer. We moved to Washington state recently and there are some fabulous wineries within 5 miles of our house — we indulge quite often!
Erin February 22, 2009, 8:00 pm
Oh that’s such a great gift idea. You have a very lucky husband!
emily February 22, 2009, 8:18 pm
that looks like so much fun, I always have wanted to take a wine class.

I don’t drink much wine, but I am way into brinner (=breakfast for dinner)
Bridget February 22, 2009, 8:28 pm
I love wine too!! I’ve always wanted to go to a real wine tasting class, what a great idea for a gift. I’m gonna drop hints to my husband about that one 🙂
One Healthy Apple February 22, 2009, 9:07 pm
I love the concept of wine, but I really need to learn more about it and drink it more. Lately I have been leaning towards Rieslings and other whites. What a fun class!
Emily February 22, 2009, 9:27 pm
I need to go to wine school; I don’t know much about pairing wine with food at all, but I wish I did!
eatingRD February 22, 2009, 9:30 pm
I LOVE wine too! (sometimes too much haha) It’s so fun to talk about wine and its characteristics and how it goes with food. It’s especially fun to collect. My mom got us Twomey Merlot (you have to try!), but we can’t bear to open it because we want to save it for something special. We usually just get the $10 or less bottles, so we don’t feel as bad. That class looks like a lot of fun. Chris and I were thinking about taking a class at UNLV.

-kristen
eatingRD February 22, 2009, 9:32 pm
My aunt lives in Napa and Chris and I went there one spring break and it was amazing! Isn’t that such a great place?
ChickPea February 22, 2009, 9:54 pm
Thanks for posting this! Now that I am finally 21, I am in serious need of a wine education!
Katerina February 22, 2009, 10:36 pm
I wanna take THAT class.
BOBBI McCORMICK February 22, 2009, 11:20 pm
hubby and I would eat that up!!! MAN HOW FUN:) Love breakfast for dinner:)
Sarah (lovINmytummy) February 23, 2009, 12:00 am
I love a nice GLASS of wine. Any more than that, especially on the day of a long run, and I turn into a hawt mess. Can you imagine me with the small amount of a filter I operate with removed??! Yipes.
Wine Club Insider February 23, 2009, 12:16 am
I’m really not such a big fan of beer. In fact, I rarely drink it for any purpose other than to be polite. However, I absolutely love a good glass of wine or two now and again… or perhaps slightly more often. Actually wines have become something of a hobby of mine over the years. While I love drinking it, of course, I also enjoy learning about it as well — the history of different varietals, regions, the finer points of how to enjoy wine, and so forth.

I very much like your idea of taking a class to learn how to appreciate wine more. I’m also a big fan of following wine journals and blogs like yours to keep up with what people are drinking and how they like it. Wine clubs are probably my personal favorite way to learn more about wines though. They’re an excellent way to train your palette to recognize notes and appreciate the nuances of the wines you try. They also are en excellent way to build your collection or keep your wine fridge full!

For every varietal, region, or area of interest, there’s a wine club designed to fit perfectly and wine club reviews are a great way to explore the various memberships that are out there and find the one that’s right for you. I keep a wine and wine club related blog and review section at my site wineclubguide.com. Come by anytime and see what’s new!
Anne P February 23, 2009, 6:40 am
i LOVE wine. and yes, i agree… SWALLOW! screw spitting 🙂
Dori February 23, 2009, 7:24 am
I love breakfast for dinner and I LOVE wine! My BF and I want to take a wine tasting class too!
Andrea (Off Her Cork) February 23, 2009, 7:29 am
Love wine and have it every weekend. It’s my indulgence/vice whatevs. 🙂
greendogwine February 23, 2009, 7:54 am
Wow – that looks so fun! I’m totally jealous!! 🙂
elise February 23, 2009, 9:49 am
i agree, swallowing is a way better option.

napa is a 4-letter word in my household, since we have a vineyard in sonoma’s dry creek valley (neighbors to napa valley)…still, glad you enjoyed the tasting 🙂
Victoria February 25, 2009, 10:18 pm
I love wine! This looks like so much fun!

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