We had another good turnout at the fourth gathering in the monthly series of wine classes at the Club on Thursday, April 19. To start off, we discovered that, while the word oaky does not appear in spell-check, it definitely appears in smell-check and taste-check. We learned this by comparing a 2004 Les Caillottes Pouilly Fume from the Loire Valley (not oaky) with a 2004 Beringer Chardonnay from Napa. The Beringer definitely was kicked up a notch in taste and smell, being fruitier with a hint of vanilla. From there we entered the world of texture by comparing wines with less and more tannins. For this comparison we tried a 2005 Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir from Carneros (less tannin) and a 2004 J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. The pinot noir definitely felt silky on the tongue while the cabernet felt more like velvet and tended to make our tongues feel dryer. Nevertheless, the cabernet was the big hit of the evening.

At our May 17 class, we’ll do a reprieve of tasting for body, but this time we’ll taste two whites and two reds. For the whites we’ll pit a German Riesling against an Alsatian one, and for the reds we’ll see how a merlot-based Bordeaux stands up to a California merlot. To prepare for the next class, please be sure to read at least up to page 59 in Chapter Three of the book, Great Wines Made Simple by Andrea Immer Robinson, concentrating on the tasting notes on pages 54 and 55. Don’t forget, we have a copy on loan at the Club Bar if you don’t have a copy of your own. It’s informative and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

We’ll get started with the tasting at about 7:00 p.m. We all usually stay for dinner and have a little more wine, of course.

It’s never too late to join the fun (and we do have fun, especially after tasting and retasting four wines!). Classes are $10 per person per class – a real bargain considering the amount of wine you may try.

Hope to see you on May 17!

Suzy Marquard