Difficulty Level: Wine 101
Julia Burke Freytsis, DWSET, has spent the last 18 years writing about and talking about wine, and she believes wine's most intimidating stumbling block is its special vocabulary. What does it mean when a wine is "austere?" What about tasting notes of "pencil shavings" or "pear drop"? How can we read between the lines on a shelf tag or professional review? If you've settled into some favorite regions and wine styles, but still find yourself lacking the words to explain your tastes and describe the wines in front of you, this class is for you. Julia will walk you through a delicious tasting while helping you interpret common wine terms, build your nose-to-memory connection, and develop a wine language that is meaningful to you.
We hope you can join us on Tuesday, February 17 at 6pm on the mezzanine for this special event!
Bairrada is one of Portugal’s many small, relatively unknown regions. In some ways, it’s quite Burgundian — there is one dominant red grape variety (Baga) and one white (Bical); the wines made here are generally quite balanced in terms of alcohol, acidity, and body; there’s a bustling trade in sparkling wine, though these bubbles are overshadowed by the still options; and there’s a lot of limestone in the soils here in Central Portugal.
If there’s ever a moment to pop a luxurious bottle of pink bubbles, Valentine’s Day makes a pretty compelling case. And nothing delivers quite like Laherte Frères’ stunning Rosé de Meunier. Based on the ripe, juicy 2022 vintage, this 100% Pinot Meunier is a beautiful, savory, deep magenta-colored charmer bursting with fresh wild strawberry and tart cherry tones wrapped around a finely chiseled, mouthwatering mineral core.
Domaine Jean-Marie Chaland can be found at 12 Rue de la Grappe d’Or, literally “Golden Grape Street” in the town of Viré. The Viré-Clessé AOC is one of Burgundy’s newest appellations, designated in just 1999. As we’ve seen all over the Mâconnais, interest in the area’s limestone-rich terroir (and less expensive real estate) has skyrocketed in recent years; Meursault icon Dominique Lafon’s Heritiers line proudly features a Viré-Clessé.
