What I Learned At Wine School

So, what did I learn? The most valuable things I learned were (a) what to expect from the most common types of wines (including varieties like chardonnay or cabernet) and what to expect from wines from particular regions (such as South African pinotage or Loire Valley chenin blanc); and (b) how to taste wine in a systematic and critical way. Each day involved about 6 hours of lecture together with the tasting of 18 wines. We sipped (and spit) each wine an average of 3-4 times as we judged the color on two criteria, the nose (smell) on three criteria and the palate (taste) on six criteria. It was methodical and thorough. We did this by tasting, swirling and spitting wine all day. This had an unexpected consequence. By the end of each day although I had never actually swallowed a drop, I found the idea of a relaxing glass of wine repulsively stomach-turning. Despite this, the tastings were invaluable. By using this tasting method (the WSET folks refer to it as the "Systematic Approach to Tasting"), I have a very effective way to compare wines. As a result, I can tell you what a wine should look, smell and taste like just by knowing what grapes it is made from, where it was grown and when it was bottled. As a result, I can better describe why I don't like a certain wine and I have a good chance of avoiding similiar wines in the future. In addition, I'm more than ready to write wine-tasting notes now--all I need is for the Central Oregonian to spring for the shipment of wines to write about each month!