Thursday, November 10, 2016
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
Tour of France in 7 Stages — Tour de France en 7 Étapes
Spread out over 7 classes, we will take a virtual tour through France, visiting each of the major wine regions (Burgundy, Rhone Valley, Southwest France, Bordeaux, Loire Valley, and Alsace) and sampling some of the finest classics, revealing mysteries, debunking myths, and discovering hidden treasures. At the helm is Gary Hulton, certified sommelier, Wine Educator and Francophile whose favorite way to enjoy France is to drive through it, tasting the food and drink, looking at the art and architecture, and becoming a part of daily life in the very different micro-cultures that define what it means to be French. In addition to tasting fabulous wines, we will learn to speak a bit of the language, explore maps, regions, menus, and especially the labels. As the French say, we will “changer les idées” (refresh your mind). Let’s fire up the deux chevaux and get rolling.
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Class 4: Thursday, November 10—Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, Southwest From Quantity to Quality
Provence is best known for its refreshing rosé wines but the Languedoc-Roussillon, the largest wine producing region in all of France and the rest of the world, has had a reputation for making low-quality bulk wines, which is exactly what they produced for many years. Recently though, there has been a dramatic shift to lower yields and higher quality wines, so we are now finding some incredible wines and bargain prices. Grape varieties abound and blends are common in the Coteaux de Languedoc wines. The area is also the origin of grapes like Malbec, from Cahors and Tannat in Madiran. Other wines of note are Minervois and Faugères, as well as a number of sparkling and dessert wines. It is hot in this region and the wines can be big and bold. But a good quality wine from this part of France can be extremely delicious and very light on the wallet.
Location: Mana Café
888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Time: 7PM-8:30PM
Price: Single classes are $55. To purchase tickets for November 10, click here.
Discount packages for more than one class, or the entire program, are available. Please contact Marla Priest at mpriest@manawine.com for details.
