Tuesday, December 6, 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 5: Tuesday, December 6—Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a charming town on the banks of the Gironde estuary, just east of the Atlantic Ocean. The wines from this region vary depending on which side of the river, or bank, they come from, as the soils, climate and grape varieties are planted to best adapt to a particular area. Bordeaux wines are almost always blends of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with three other permitted grapes sometimes added: Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Thanks to wine connoisseur and Emperor Napoléon III, Bordeaux wines have a lot of class. Actually, in 1855, Napoléon set up a system to identify different quality levels of wines made by some of the various Châteaux in the region. This system can be a bit confusing, especially with 5 different levels within the Grand Cru classification, and that is just for left bank wines. One of the most expensive Bordeaux wines, Château Pétrus, isn’t even on the list! So with over 7000 châteaux making wines, and only a few on the list, how do you choose? We will learn about how to taste the difference between a left bank and a right bank wine, and why they are the way they are. We will also discuss the other wines that attempt to emulate a Bordeaux wine, like Super Tuscans from Italy, Meritage wines from California, and some new contenders from China.
LOCATION:
Mana Café
888 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
TIME: 7PM-8:30PM
PRICE: SINGLE CLASSES ARE $55
TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR DECEMBER 6, 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.
