Wine Tasting for Dummies

Knowing about wine is important in my line of work. Sure I drink it and I know when to serve white or red, but I didn't really know much more than that. So when I found this "Wine Tasting for Dummies" class being offered at Crossing Vineyards & Winery in Bucks County, I knew I had to attend. I didn't want to go solo, so I asked a few wedding planner friends to tag along.

To make it worth the 45 minute drive (more than an hour for those who made a few wrong turns), I called ahead to arrange a private tour of the winery's wedding and event facilities. Although this is not the time of year to see the beauty of a vineyard, we were able to see the potential as well as some photos of previous weddings. The thing that really amazed me was the bridal suite. It is actually a beautifully decorated one-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and a hair/makeup room. I wish I had taken my camera... heck... I wish I could stay there for about a week. LOL

Our tour ended in the Vineyard Room, their indoor banquet room, where the "Wine Tasting for Dummies" class took place. Our instructor was the charasmatic owner of Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Tom Carroll Sr. Not only was the class informative, it was also very entertaining.

Because I love you, I am going to share some of the information I learned from this class. I recommend this class for others who are interested in a fun Sunday afternoon outing complete with wine and cheese.

• 20 minutes before you serve your wine, take the white wine out of the refrigerator or put the red wine in the refrigerator.
• NEVER put wine on ice.
• NEVER leave your wine in the trunk of your car for days and expect it to taste good.
• Hold your wine glass by the stem so your body temperature does not change the temperature of the wine.
• NEVER fill your glass more than 1/3 because you need 2/3 of air to maintain the quality of the wine.
• True wine drinkers will smell the wine, then swirl it, then smell it again before tasting.
• When you taste the wine, slurp it so that you get some air in your mouth with the wine. This adds to the intensity of the flavor on your tastebuds.
• The date on the bottle = the year of the grape.
• Do not drink wine that is more than 13 1/2% alcohol
• White wine is best consumed within 3-5 years
• Red wine is best consumes within 5-8 years
• Decanting red wine is critical
• If you buy wine by the glass and it doesn't taste right, then send it back and tell the waiter that the wine has been oxidized. Restaurants usually open the bottle of wine long before you order your glass.
• Buying by the bottle is actually cheaper than buying by the glass. (Do the math... there are 4 glasses of wine per bottle)
• The bubbles in champagne are called "mousse".
• Soap residue ruins wine glasses. Don't wash glasses or decanters with soap.
• "Nouveau" wines are made within 29 days from vine to wine.
• "Viognier" is an inexpensive, bone dry white wine
• "Vintner's Select White" is a blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Riesling
• "Riesling" is my favorite white wine. It goes well with spicy foods because it neutralizes the fire.
• Apple wine goes well with pork and poultry dishes.
• "Le Nouveau" is best paired with fish
• "Vintner Select Red" is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Chambourcin.
• "Chambourcin Reserve" is a peppery red wine
• "Blush" or "Rose" goes with any food
• "Wild Berry" (not made with grapes) is a fabulous dessert wine. I bought a bottle to go with cheesecake but you can have it over vanilla ice cream or with anything chocolate.

Thanks to Christina Mitchell (Heaven Sent Weddings), Chanel Johnson (Chanel's Creations), Tanti Lina (Papertini), Deidre Gray (Always A Positive Image), and Isis Petrie (Posh Events) for taking the class with me. It was lots of fun.

By the way... Deidre & Isis beat me to the blogging punch.