Last semester I took Wine 1 at the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at Boston University’s Metropolitan College. While I enjoyed the class, especially the essay I wrote on the future of wine tourism, I found that I needed a more structured approach to the tastings. After some basic research, I decided to obtain the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines. I finally found a class in Providence, RI at The Spirited Grape. I left early in order to find the location before dark (which comes early this time of year in New England) and had a tasty dinner at the nearby Troop PVD which was showing the 90’s gem Renaissance Man on the bar televisions.
Finally, I headed over to the classroom where I met the instructor and my classmates. The group turned out to be about a 50%-50% mix of wine enthusiasts and people from the wine industry. The initial part of the class involved the instructor walking us through the WSET Level 2 System approach to Tastining® (SAT), which included examining a variety of the aspects of five wines. We worked through examining the wines, including their appearance, nose, and palate, and then had to determine the quality of the wine. It was stressed whether or not we liked the wine did not affect our decision in the quality of the wine. We also started to work on our vocabulary such as terms to discuss flavors and aromas. I discovered that having a controlled vocabulary to discuss the wines was a great starting place to determine the aromas and flavors of the wine. While my favorite wine of the night was one of the omes determined to be of Acceptable quality, it was great to experience tasting some wines that were determined to be Outstanding, such as a South African Chenin Blanc.
We also explored how the various wines tasted with salt, acid, and sugar, to learn how elements of food change the taste of a variety of wines. While I had been part of a larger discussion involving potential wine and food pairings in Wine 1, it was great to have the basic principals repeated. Next week, we begin to learn more about the technicalities involved in red wine production.