Beat the winter blues and try something new this month by dabbling in some wine tasting, hosted by French eatery La Brasserie on London’s Brompton Road. The ‘Introduction to the world of wine’ course, in association with London’s finest wine merchant Roberson wine, will be running for four weeks at La Brasserie. The course will run every Monday from 6th February at 7pm lasting 1 ½ hours at a cost of £45. Guests who join in on the wine tasting will receive a 10% discount for post tasting dinner at la Brasserie.
The ‘Introduction to the world of wine’ course is spread over four classes and is delivered in an informative but relaxed and non-patronising way. The unique approach focuses on the what, where, when and who of the wine world, giving the tasters a grounding in everything from grape varieties and major regions to how the style of a given producer can dramatically affect the taste of a wine.
The ‘What’ of wine – Monday 6th February
The first tasting will begin by teaching the fundamentals of how to taste, before looking at the ‘what’ of wine – the major red and white grape varieties and the role that their differences play in the character of finished wines. It is a great opportunity for those with basic or intermediate knowledge to become better acquainted with the key fundamentals of wine.
Six wines will be tasted. The first will be to help to hone your wine tasting technique. Then there will be two whites, followed by two reds to help you identify the major varieties. Finally we will taste a wine ‘blind’ to see if you can spot the key characteristics of a particular variety.
The ‘Where’ of wine – Monday 13th February
The second tasting of the series will look at the impact that ‘place’ has on the quality and style of wine. The appellation system used in France (and beyond) is a product of the concept of ‘terroir’ and all of this will be discussed (and tasted) in detail, in addition to the differences between many wines from the New World and the Old World.
The six wines will include two whites from the same grape variety and same year, but one from an old world country and one from a new world country. Then we will look at three wines from the same grapes and region, that still show distinctive differences - all to illustrate the different characteristics infused by the specific place that the grapes are grown. Finally, you will be given a ‘blind’ tasting to see if you can identify whether the wine is from the old or new world.
The ‘Who’ of wine – Monday 20th February
The third tasting look at the impact that the winemaker has on the quality and style of wine. Whether they are technically minded or ‘non-interventionist’, the decisions they do or don’t make will dictate what sort of wine is produced. There are all sorts of different approaches to winemaking and this class will look at many of them, as well as discussing the modern vs traditional debate that is raging in many of the world’s most important wine regions.
We will taste two wines made in the same place from the same grapes - but made by very different winemakers. One will be a commercial wine and one from an artisanal grower. Then we will taste two wines from the same place and grapes, but one aged with oak barrels and one without. Finally we will taste two wines from Rioja to illustrate just how different modern and traditional techniques can make wines taste very different.
The ‘When’ of wine- Monday 27th February
The fourth and final tasting of the series will look at the ‘when’ of wine, focusing on the impact that vintage conditions and maturity have on the development of a wine and when the best time is to drink up. Why do some wines age and others don’t? Why do people obsess about 2005 but not 2004? All of this will be discussed, in addition to how you should store wine and what to look out for when selecting mature bottles.
We will taste a white from an older vintage to see how white wines change and develop. Then we will taste two wines from consecutive but very different vintages to see what a difference the weather conditions can make to a wine. Following this we will taste the same red wine in a young and then old vintage to look at how wine develops over a long period of time. Finally we will taste an old wine ‘blind’ to see if you can work out how old it is!