Wine Classes at the Chopping Block, March 2010

Wine for Beginners  $45

Wed 3/3 LS
Fri 3/5 MM
Baby steps: Wine!  In this one we’ll take it sloooow, talking absolute wine basics.  We’ll taste a bit, talk a bit, laugh a bit, cry a bit…well maybe not the latter, but do bring any and all questions and curiosities on the grape and it’s noblest derivative:  wine!!

De-Coding Winespeak  $45

Wed 3/10 LS
Fri 3/12 MM
Sometimes winespeak is as good as Greek for all of the unfamiliar jargon.  In this one we’ll decode the most prevalent wine adjectives via a “versus” style wine tasting:  dry vs. sweet, juicy vs. tannic, clean vs. oaky, soft vs. acidic, and lean vs. full.

Wine Down-Under:  The Wines of Australia and New Zealand  $45

Wed 3/17 LS
Fri 3/19 MM
Winter in Chicago is a fine time to taste through a line-up of sun-drenched Aussie wines, and see how they differ in body and style from those of their neighbor to the south east, New Zealand. 

From Vine to Wine: How Wine is Made  $45

Wed 3/24 LS
Fri 3/26 MM
Learn just how last night’s masterful Chateauneuf du Pape made it to your dinner table: from the vineyard, through the fermentation vessels in the winery, into barrel, and finally into bottle!  We’ll also learn what tricks of the trade winemaker’s employ to achieve varying styles depending on what’s currently en vogue. 

Career Change:  Wine Business  $45

Wed 3/31 LS
When unemployment is high and the economy is in the doldrums, lots of folks see the wine business as fun and romantic and a career change worth investigating.   Our resident Wine Goddess, Diana Hamann, will lead a discussion on the kinds of positions one can expect when considering entering the wine biz.