TruthInJuice.com Wine Discovery Class at Levity

I'm excited to announce that TruthInJuice.com will be hosting a Wine Discovery Class at Levity, Burlington, Vermont's only comedy club (9 Center Street, Burlington, VT), on Monday nights, starting October 22nd, 2012.

I'm really excited about launching this series, as I love sharing my passion for wine with those who are interested in learning more about it, and I'm hopeful that by the end of the course, we may have a new wave of wine lovers on our hands. If you've ever been confused or intimidated by wine, this is a perfect place to rid yourself of that feeling. After all, wine is meant to be enjoyed, and everyone enjoys things that they understand much more than they enjoy things that are confusing.

We'll taste 5-6 wines per night, and will explore the fundamentals of wine, from tasting techniques, to deciphering wine labels, and providing exposure to the major wine regions of the world. Food and wine pairings, and ordering wine in restaurants will also be discussed. At the end of the course, attendees should be able to speak knowledgeably about wine, and and have a general level of comfort with wine in general.

The course will run for 6 weeks (October 22nd - November 26th), from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. The cost of the course is $100 for all 6 classes (the student rate is $75). Obviously, all participants must be 21.

For any details I might have missed, and to sign up, check out the official online advertisement, visit www.levityVT.com, or call Levity at 802-318-4888.

"Just Give Me a Glass of Cab..." - Cabernet Panel Tasting Results

"Just give me a glass of Cab."Our tasting line-up 

Those words have probably been uttered thousands of times, by bar patrons, wedding attendees, and countless other wine drinkers looking for a simple and appealing glass of red. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely planted grapes, having migrated from its ancestral home in Bordeaux's Medoc peninsula to play a leading role in wine production on nearly every continent in which grapes are grown. It originated as the product of an accidental crossing between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, but once consumers fell in love with the grape, there was no holding it back. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon can be found in France, the United States, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Canada and more. While the styles of the wines produced from Cabernet Sauvignon depending on the country in which it is produced, the fact of the matter is that Cabernet Sauvignon resonates with consumer's palates in a manner that few other grapes are able to replicate. The term "Cab" or "Cabernet Sauvignon" is often used as a synonym for red wine by novice wine drinkers. Due to its near univeral popularity, Cabernet Sauvignon has seen its name become genericized, in much the same way that a "Coke" has become something of a generic term for a soda, or soft drink.

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Definitely a Food Wine: A Blind Tasting of Barbera

The other day, I was talking with my friend Charlie about when our next panel tasting would be. "I enjoyed the last tasting," he said. "I think the esteemed panel should reconvene, and taste some reds." 

I hastily agreed, and set out to plan the next panel tasting. Originally, I had thought that it would be a good idea to celebrate Cabernet Day with a panel tasting focusing on Cabernet. However, with Cabernet Day taking place on August 30th, right before the Labor Day holiday, interest for a tasting was not at a peak, so I elected to postpone the panel tasting until after Labor Day, and celebrate Cabernet Day with a quiz on Cabernet. 

However, Charlie was still keen on the idea of doing a tasting. "We could do a small tasting on Wednesday night," I suggested.

Our small selection of Barbera

"Sounds good to me," Charlie replied.

When I texted Charlie on Wednesday to ask what he wanted to taste that night, he wasn't tremendously specific. "Dry, light-bodied reds," was his response.

Thinking that I'd certainly had more vague and nebulous requests for wine recommendations, I asked Charlie if he thought Nebbiolo, Gamay, Pinot Noir, or Barbera sounded like grapes he'd want to explore.

"They all sound good," he offered. "Let's do all of them."

When I told him I wanted to focus on just one grape for the tasting, Charlie became decisive. "Barbera?" he proposed. "I have no idea what it is actually."

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Upcoming Panel Tasting: Cabernet Sauvignon

Our next panel tasting will be in the weeks following Labor Day, in celebration of Cabernet Day, which is August 30th. However, due to the Labor Day holiday and travel plans, we'll be holding the tasting following Labor Day. Since we've covered one half of the 1976 "Paris Tasting" by covering Chardonnay, I suppose it makes sense to look at the other side (both reds and whites were featured in the 1976 event), in our second panel tasting. If you'd like to join the tasting panel, submit our General Question form with the subject line "Cabernet Day Tasting" and include your contact details in the body of the email. Cheers!

You can win a free spot in the panel tasting by being the top scorer in our Quiz on Cabernet Sauvignon!

Update on Monday, September 10, 2012 at 10:02PM by truthinjuice

For those of you who have been awaiting the announcement of a date for this tasting panel, it will be on Thursday, September 20th, at 8:00 PM. Because the tasting will be hosted at a private residence, we will not post the address, but it will be made available to those who sign up through the General Question Form, with the subject line "Cabernet Panel Tasting."

The cost of the tasting will be between $15 and $20 per person, but remember that you can win a free spot in the panel tasting (or a Starbucks gift card) by completing our quiz on Cabernet. The contest will be closed, and answers to the quiz will be posted on Tuesday, September 18th, so get your submissions in before then!

It Still Has a Place in Our Hearts: Chardonnay Blind Tasting Results

This past Thursday evening, nine readers joined me at my house for a blind tasting to evaluate the state of Chardonnay in the minds of today's wine drinking public. I was inspired to host this tasting while at the Killington Wine Festival a few weeks ago, when I watched a woman at the Friday evening Estate Tasting flatly refuse to try Grgich Hills Chardonnay, stating that she was sure she wouldn't like it. I was stunned that someone would pass up a chance to taste a Grgich Hills Chardonnay. Grgich Hills is one of the preeminent wineries in California. The winery's founder and longtime winemaker, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, was the winemaker behind the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 "Paris Tasting," and helped American wines gain international recognition. I'm not sure if the woman knew what she was passing up, but eventually she was persuaded to try it. "It's not bad... for a Chardonnay," she demurred. 

The wheels in my head started turning. Was Chardonnay so universally maligned that people would pass up the chance to taste even the best examples of the grape? I'm not the biggest fan of women's basketball, but if someone gave me a free ticket to the gold medal game at the Olympics, I'd definitely go. However, as I thought about the woman's refusal to try the Grgich Hills Chardonnay in the week after the tasting, my memory was flooded with instances of people refusing to try Chardonnay. In the past few years, the "ABC (anything but Chardonnay) movement" has gained steam, as consumers have rebelled against overly oaked, highly extracted, buttery Chardonnay. While I freely admit that there are some Chardonnays out there that make you feel as though you are drinking buttered popcorn, or licking the inside of an oak barrel, my experiences with Chardonnay have generally been more positive than negative, and I'm not ready to write the grape off just yet.

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