Wine class… sounds a bit like something that snobbish wine aficionados attend on a regular basis to discuss the royal snobbery that goes hand in hand with wine education. Right? Wrong. Unless you are one of the few people in this world who absolutely detest the taste of wine and anything that comes with it, you can and will greatly benefit from attending wine classes. Okay, okay, so you love drinking wine and all but why on earth would you need to take a class when you already enjoy what you’re doing? Well, the answer is simple. Not only will you open the door to more wines than you could have ever fathomed, but you will know how to enjoy them the right way. Yes, there is a right way to enjoy wine. Sipping box wine out of a red plastic cup is not a solution, for anybody. So take the snooty stigma out of the wine world and open your eyes. Think of wine as if it were Disneyland… Sure, there is some fun stuff outside the gates; balloons, cotton candy, souvenirs and all that. But why just hang around outside? Get in line, buy yourself a ticket, and come in for the real deal. Recently, students at the San Francisco Wine Center were ready to do just that. And with James Beard award-winning author Jordan Mackay taking the lead on this field trip, the students were astounded at just how many fun facets of wine there is to learn about. Here’s a taste of what some of those were….

So first things first, let’s start with holding your glass properly. Holding the glass by its stem is crucial for two reasons. One, it keeps your hand from affecting the temperature of the wine and therefore altering its characteristics. Two, it just looks a whole lot classier. And now that you have the wine in your glass, let’s talk freaky faults. Yup, wines can have them. This is where wine classes can become very helpful. Picture this, you’re at a restaurant and you order a bottle of wine from the menu. It arrives and you smell and taste it. Straight away you sense an aroma of wet cardboard muckiness. Hmm..Maybe this is just a bad producer? Nope. This wine is corked. And you should not continue to torture your palate with the retched taste of it. Understanding what faults to look for in wine and how to identify them is something that is useful to just about everybody. What’s next…let’s talk about describing wine. We all hear a lot of wine jargon being said such as, “This wine is oaky.” But what does that even mean? Well, as you will learn in wine classes, there are different types of oak used for barrels, different ages, and different lengths of time in which they are used; all of which imparts different characteristics to wine. Moving onto fruit. Yes, a lot of wines have a sense of fruitiness to them. But what kind of fruit? Citrus fruits? Green apples? Peaches? Berries? Or even tropical fruits? Once you identify the types of fruit, you then have to decide what stage these fruits are in. The fruits can seem fresh, ripe, baked, candied, or even jammed. Figuring this out can tell you a lot about the region in which the wine came from and how its maturity is progressing. In addition to that, there are a whole lot of other components of wine such as its acidity, tannin, body, complexity, and several more that can tell you a compelling story about the wine, where it came from, the people who made it, and where it is going. Therefore by taking wine classes such as “Tasting and Describing Wine” at the SF Wine Center, you come to understand much more about what you are drinking and further enhance your decision making for future wine purchases that you make. Now who doesn’t like the sound of that? So get out there and put your learning hat on. And have fun with it!

-Julie Albin

Wine List:

1. Champagne Delamotte Brut NV – Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne, France
2. Villa Maria Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc “Private Bin” 2011 – New Zealand
3. Stift Goettweig Gruner Veltliner Messwein 2010 – Kremstal, Austria
4. Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 2009 – Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, FR
5. Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett “Blue Slate” 2011 – Mosel Valley, Germany
6. Raptor Ridge Willamette Valley Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 – Oregon
7. Alenza Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva 2001 – Tempranillo from Spain
8. Pio Cesare Barolo 2007 – Nebbiolo from Alba in Piedmont, Italy
9. Paul Hobbs Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 – California
10. Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Porto – Douro Valley, Portugal

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.  Who doesn’t love bubbles?  Especially during this time of year, nothing beats popping open a nice bottle of Champagne to celebrate the holiday season.  San Francisco Wine Center students were ready to kick-off this year’s holiday festivities by joining Advanced Level Certified Sommelier and lead wine educator at the Culinary Institute of America Christie Dufault and spending a chilly winter evening learning about and tasting some of the true stars of Champagne.  With an extravagant lineup including legendary producers such as Taittinger, Pierre Gimonnet, Pierre Peters, and Lanson, it was the bottle of 1996 Louis Roederer Cristal that sparked a rather intriguing topic of conversation.  As we all know and have heard in countless songs by Notorious B.I.G, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and several others, Cristal grew quite the following from the hip-hop culture throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s.  Often referred to as “Crissy”, one could find bottles of Cristal available at nearly every major nightclub being sold for anywhere from $450 to $600, and sometimes even more.  Then suddenly all of that changed after a fateful interview with the managing director of Louis Roederer, Frederic Rouzaud. When asked if he felt that Cristal’s association with the “bling lifestyle” could be damaging to the brand, he simply replied, “That’s a good question, but what can we do?  We can’t forbid people from buying it.”  And with that, hip-hop icon Jay-Z was so offended by Rouzaud’s comment that he ultimately boycotted Cristal and pulled the wine from all of his lounges and 40/40 nightclubs.  The others soon followed.  Jay-Z spokesperson Ron Berkowitz later commented, “The hip-hop world certainly helped elevate the presence of Cristal.  At the end of the day isn’t the goal for any company to sell bottles?”  Well…not exactly.

You see, what makes wine so unique is that unlike beer and spirits which are made from fermented grains and starches, wine on the other hand is produced from fresh fruit.  This concept makes for significant fluctuations in production due to factors such as climate.  In other words, what you get each year is what you get.  So focusing back on Cristal, this high-end Champagne is not just about a crystal clear bottle, gold labels, and shiny foil wrappings.  As the very first Prestige cuvee of Champagne, both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes are selected from their estate’s finest vineyards.  And only in the “great” years when the ripeness levels ensure the defined balance that Cristal is known for will the wine actually be produced.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, it means that Cristal is only produced several times each decade.  The supply of this fantastic cuvee is not endless, and therefore, neither should its consumption be.  But now that the hip-hop culture has essentially dumped Cristal in a less than amicable breakup, nightclubs have moved on to other well-known Champagne houses.  Nicknamed “Sally”, the hip-hop and club scene has begun its all-or-nothing relationship with world-famous Champagne house Salon…which incidentally is also only produced during exceptional years and typically only four times each decade.  At the end of the day, are these producers more than happy to have anyone in the world that is passionate about wine thoroughly enjoy and indulge in their Champagne?  Most certainly, it’s what they live for.  Could these wines be fully appreciated for their rarity and superior quality while being sipped on a dance floor in a jam-packed nightclub whilst the drinkers are just trying to focus on not having their glasses elbowed by the person next to them?  That part, you decide.

-Julie Albin

Wine List

1. Taittinger Prelude Grand Crus Brut NV
2. Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve Brut 2000
3. Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002
4. Pierre Gimonnet Brut Special Club 2002
5. Pierre Peters Les Chetillons Blanc de Blancs 2004
6. Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs 2005
7. Louis Roederer Cristal 1996
8. Lanson Ivory Label Demi Sec NV
9. Lanson Extra Age Rosé NV
10. Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut NV

Burgundy can be thought of as a well-bred family of children; each child possessing different appearances, different styles, and different behaviors.  Within this regal family is an undoubtedly salient set of fraternal twins, both dashing in looks and rivaling only each other in superior quality, none other than the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune.  These regions represent the teenage dream of being that set of all-star athlete fraternal twins that can’t help but excel in just about everything.  Every girl wants to date them.  Every guy wants to be them.  But just like any fraternal twins, even the nearly flawless ones, alongside the uncanny similarities come distinct differences.  James Beard award-winning author Jordan Mackay paid another visit to the San Francisco Wine Center to guide a class full of students who caught the Burgundy bug and help them uncover the deep side of Côte de Nuits.  Feasting their eyes on the impeccable wine list, the class fervently tasted a few Premier Cru wines followed by an impressive lineup of delightful Grand Cru wines from Clos Vougeot and plenty of Charmes Chambertin.  The students were more than pleased to end the class with a glass of 1985 Camus Pere & Fils Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru.  Here is a taste of what we learned.

Although both regions produce the two key Burgundian grape varietals, many would refer to the Côte de Nuits as the ‘Holy land of Pinot Noir’ while Côte de Beaune is dubbed as the ‘King of Chardonnay’.  Having been granted 24 of the 33 Grand Cru vineyards of Burgundy, Côte de Nuits is highly dominated by Pinot Noir at about 95%.  It is a well-known fact that Pinot Noir from this region tends to be unmistakably deeper colored, heftier, and firmer than those of Côte de Beaune.  But why is that?  Well to be fair, attempting to fully comprehend the mosaic of soils that underlie Côte de Nuits, or Burgundy in general for that matter, is not for the geologically inept.  But looking at the overall picture it can be noted that the region’s soils are composed of a limestone base topped with mixtures of chalk, marl and red clay with rich alluvial soils found in the lower altitudes.  The Côte de Nuits bears a continental climate with little to no influences from the Atlantic; receiving long cool winters, short warm summers, and an unfortunate tendency for hail storms.  Apart from general climatic similarities, this region conspicuously differs from the wet and windier conditions of Côte de Beaune.  Another perceivable difference between the regions is the much narrower size and sharply sloped terrain of Côte de Nuits in contrast to the soft rolling hills of Côte de Beaune.  All aspects combined, Côte de Nuits ends up producing significantly less amounts of wine than Côte de Beaune.  Now, that sure was a mouthful of comparing and contrasting.  But as mentioned earlier, life is such for such high-profile fraternal twins.  The bottom line, could you resist dating either?  If you even tried to answer with a ‘yes’, Burgundy drinkers would argue otherwise.

-Julie Albin

Wine List

1. Domaine Dujac  Morey St-Denis AC 2010
2. Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2009
3. Clos de Tart La Forge 1er Cru 2008
4. Dominique Laurent Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er  Cru 2001
5. Domaine Philippe Charlopin-Parizot Clos Vougeot Grand Gru 2000
6. Domaine Armand Rousseau Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2003
7. Domaine Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru 2001
8. Domaine Federic Magnien Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 1998
9. Louis Jadot Le Chambertin Grand Cru 1988
10. Camus Pere and Fils Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 1985

Bordeaux –  the region that winos love to hate on, yet can’t deny their absolute inner love for.  No matter how much one could say that Bordeaux wines are over-classified and overrated, one would have a very difficult time refuting how truly amazing these wines can be.  Advanced Level Certified Sommelier and General Manager of Meteor Vineyard Jason Alexander popped into the SF Wine Center to share his take on this first-class region.  Like children sitting near the Christmas tree ready to dig into their presents, this class full of Bordeaux enthusiasts anxiously awaited their chance to taste an absolutely epic wine list including the 100-point scoring Château Montrose 1990, recently promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A (Bordeaux’s highest classification) Château L’Angelus, the highly rated Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1986, and many more.  Here’s a taste of what we learned…

Bordeaux has been dubbed with some rather unfair stigmas such as being both overrated and only as good as its vintage.  So what exactly indicates a good vintage?  Technically, it’s the ideal synergy of a frost-free period of budburst and flowering, a nice long season of growing and ripening, followed by a climatically stable and rainless harvest season.  The outcome from such a trifecta of ideal conditions results in superb ripeness of fruit, vivacious acidity, and remarkably complex aromatics; all of which blissfully harmonize into wines that will age for decades, and in some cases, a century.  And by this equation, the world has come to idealize certain showstopping vintages such as 1990 in Haut-Médoc and Sauternes, 2000 throughout Bordeaux, and the recent history-making 2009 and 2010.  But what some may forget is that it doesn’t mean all other vintages are necessarily bad, many of them have just been overshadowed by the higher ranked years.  Of the wines we tasted, some of the “off” vintages turned out to be some of the best wines in the lineup.  Excellent examples were the Château Léoville-Las-Cases  1981 from Saint-Julien, Château L’Angelus 1985 from Saint-Emilion, and Château Haut Brion 1994 from Pessac-Leognan.  Although these off-vintage wines may have expressed a somewhat different style and or progression, it doesn’t argue the fact that they are drinking magnificently.  So at the end of the day when it comes to the wines of Bordeaux, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

-Julie Albin

Wine List

1. Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux 2005 –  Margaux
2. Château Léoville-Las-Cases 1981 – Saint-Julien
3. Château L’Angelus 1985 – Saint-Emilion
4. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1986 – Pauillac
5. Château Hosanna 2008 – Pomerol
6. Château Montrose 1990 – Saint Estèphe
7. Château Haut Brion 1994 – Pessac-Leognan
8. Château Léoville-Poyferré 2000 – Saint-Julien
9. Château Filhot 1990 – Sauternes

As the filming location of Alfred Hitchcock’s blockbuster suspense thriller The Birds, the Sonoma Coast of Northern California is no stranger to peculiar undertakings.  With its rugged coastline, chilling climate and eerie layer of fog that rolls in day after day, this is by far California’s most mystifying wine region.  Earning its AVA status in 1987, this rather large region is both unique with several sub-climates and breathtakingly picturesque with some of its vineyards lining the slopes that overlook the Pacific Ocean.  Specializing in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and even cool-climate Syrah, the extreme Sonoma Coast has been charming more and more wine lovers with its complex and inarguably well –balanced wines.  2011 James Beard award-winning author and wine writer for SF Magazine Jordan Mackay stopped by the SF Wine Center and took the liberty of feeding a class full of thirsty minds with the insider lowdown on this incredible region.  The class was thrilled to taste some of the area’s benchmark producers such as Hirch Vineyards, Cobb, Kosta Browne, and many more.  Here’s a taste of what we learned…

Simply stated, there is a reason why the Sonoma Coast is so mysterious.  With its intense climate conditions, thick fogline, and receiving over double the amount of rain as neighboring regions, as far as the grapes go, this region is risky business.  One could even wonder how grapes ever fully ripen here.  Believe it or not, this area actually receives enough warmth to successfully ripen these grapes, especially if the vineyards are located above the dense fogline.  Furthermore, with a long cool growing season and harvest taking place from October to November, the grapes are able to ingeniously produce wines with true varietal characteristics and some of the purest expressions of terroir.  And with a complete balance of intense fruit, vibrant acidity, and utter complexity, these ageworthy and food-friendly wines are winning the hearts of restaurants and wine lovers across the globe.  Robert Parker even went so far as to describe the Sonoma Coast as the region “where world class Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are being made that are every bit as complex and complete as the greatest wines in France.”  That being said, it is clear to us that in life there comes a time when risks must be taken for a much greater good.  The extreme Sonoma Coast AVA alongside some of the world’s most skillful and adventurous winemakers has proven itself to be well worth the risk.

-Julie Albin

Wine List

1. Failla Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2011
2. Kistler Durell Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2007
3. Flowers Frances Thompson Vineyard Sonoma Coast Estate Pinot Noir 2007
4. Nickel & Nickel Spring Hill Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2007
5. Cobb Rice-Spivak Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2008
6. Kosta Browne Kanzler Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2008
7. Peay Pomarium Sonoma Coast Estate Pinot Noir 2008
8. Peter Michael Ma Danseuse Sonoma Coast Estate Pinot Noir 2009
9. Hirsch Vineyards East Ridge Sonoma Coast Estate Pinot Noir 2010

And life gets more exciting with each passing day.

And love is either in your heart, or on its way.

These lyrics from the classic Frank Sinatra ballad “Young At Heart” are a perfect descriptor for the ageless wines of the Italian trifecta; Barolo, the nearby Barbaresco, and Tuscany’s kingpin known as Brunello di Montalcino.  Many wine lovers would agree that they are utterly mystified by the fascinating world of these three Big B’s of Italy.  Italian native Mauro Cirilli recently returned to the San Francisco Wine Center to enlighten some of them on the captivating matter. Previously working as a Sommelier at prestigious hotels and restaurants throughout Italy, Mauro is currently the Wine Director of Press Club in San Francisco and also heads the newly formed North American Sommelier Association.  With the help of a marvelous lineup of wines including producers such as Gaja, Vietti, Poggio Antico, and several more, Mauro led the class on an enchanting exploration of these three regions and both the classic and modern styles that are produced there.  Here’s a taste of what we learned…

Barolo presents the most dramatic and dense expressions of the Nebbiolo grape that are known by their pronounced tannin and acidity, as well as a rich body and aromas of roses and tar.  As some of the world’s most ageable wines, it can take upwards of 15 years or more before these can be pleasantly enjoyable to the human palate.  What many found most intriguing in our lineup of wines was the 1990 Parusso Barolo Mariondino.  Upon first opening the bottle, pouring a bit into a glass, then smelling and tasting the wine, it appeared to have this pungent and acerbic acidity that radiated from the glass.  At first whiff, it seemed like this wine was not only passed its prime, but had already crossed into the afterlife of wine.  Mauro then poured himself a small glass and put it up to his nose, swirled, smelled again, and preceded to taste.  With a marveled expression on his face, he reassured everyone to let the wine breath for a few minutes and that all would soon be understood.  After tasting through a large portion of the wines on the list, we finally met again with the Parusso.  To our astonishment, that sharp acid was no longer but instead a flurry of earthy minerals and dried fruit aromas waltzed into our noses and onto our palates.  It was as if this wine was not dead at all but very alive with maturity and supple grace.  After seeing everyone’s expression while tasting this wine, Mauro looked pleased.  In his attempt to explain this less than subtle phenomenon, he simply said, “See, he’s not dead… Just tired and needed a moment to wake up and express himself.”

-Julie Albin

Wine List

1.   Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco “Martinenga” 2007

2.   Bruno Rocca Barbaresco “Coparossa” 1996

3.   Gaja Barbaresco 1988

4.   Luigi Einaudi Barolo Terlo 2006

5.   Vietti Barolo Brunate 2005

6.   Parusso Barolo Mariondino 1990

7.   Poggio Antico “Altero” Brunello di Montalcino 2007

8.   Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino 2004

9.   Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 1993

As everyone’s favorite day of the week, what could be the best possible cure for a case of the “Mondays”?  If you asked a few doctors, they may very well prescribe you a dose of some fantastic white Burgundy!  Okay, probably not, but we’d dare them to find a better treatment than that!

Lead Wine Instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and former Wine Director of award-winning restaurants Quince and Gary Danko, Christie Dufault stepped up to the plate and led the class on an amazing exploration of what’s easily argued as the world’s best white wines; aka the majestic Chardonnays of Burgundy.

If there is one word to describe the wines of Burgundy, ‘complex’ doesn’t even cut it.  Christie enlightened the class on a broad range of insights into the complicated puzzle that is Burgundy.  One concept that the class felt was quite interesting is how the wines are classified and how that ties into their quality.  For example, unlike Bordeaux where the classifications are ranked by producer, in Burgundy they are ranked by vineyard site.  So within Burgundy, the highest classification is Grand Cru which is wine produced from the very best vineyard sites.  Just below that is Premier Cru which is produced from particular vineyard sites that are still considerably high quality, but just not regarded as high as Grand Cru.  That being said, not all Grand Cru wines are created equal.  This is where the importance of the producer comes in.  Now although Grand Cru Burgundy wine is called that for highly valid reasons, it is not completely uncommon for the wines of an extraordinary producer using fruit from Premier Cru vineyards to be of noticeably better quality than the wines of a good producer using Grand Cru fruit. This is a prime example of how classification systems in Burgundy typically are, but won’t always be the final say as far as quality.

Digest all that?  A lot to take in, we know.  And although Burgundy is no stranger to intricate systems, one fact still holds true.  There is a legitimate reason why the world has, does, and will continue to truly love Burgundy.  Why?  The answers, complicated as may be, are all right there in the bottle.

My Favorite Wine of the Evening?

Domaine Lucien Le Moine Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ” Folatières” 2004

A voluptuous body with a kick of acid that is so pleasantly characterisitic of Puligny, this gracefully maturing wine displays aromas of cooked celery, artichoke, yellow apple, cinnamon, white pepper, and nice long almond finish.

Thanks to Christie and Brian for the best ending to a Monday, ever!

-Julie Albin

Wine List

1. Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru 2009
2. Domaines  Leflaive Macon Verze 2010
3. Domaine Coche-Dury Bourgogne Blanc 2009
4. Domaine Michel Gros Hauts Cotes de Nuits Blanc 2008
5. Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot Clos du Prieuré 2002
6. Domaine Bernard Morey Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru ” Les Caillerets” 2000
7. Domaine Latour-Giraud Meursault Genevrières 1er Cru 2001
8. Domaine Lucien Le Moine Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ” Folatières” 2004
9. Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 1996
10. Domaine Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ” Les Combettes” 1997