Wine Appreciation Class

I’m taking a three-part Introduction to Wine Appreciation Class at Temple University with my boyfriend. We decided to forgo the edible underwear for Valentines and get each other a wine class and a sushi class. It’s a little classier gift.

Temple offers a few wine classes. I wasn’t sure where I fit in, so I started at the beginning. I should know loads more about wine than I do. My dad is a wine aficionado and a wine judge. We had a wine cellar in our house and I’ve been sipping wine since I was a wee one. My sister is a wine and cheese buyer. I contribute my small wine knowledge to sticking my fingers in my ears whenever my Dad speaks. If only I could go back and not be a pissy teenager.

John McNulty, who has been teaching wine for over 20 years, teaches the class I’m taking. He also has a wine shop in New Jersey and a radio show about wine. He’s quite a fun guy and made the two-hour class on Friday evening go by in a flash.

The first class was devoted to white wine. We sampled six varieties and discussed the look, aroma, and taste of the wines. We filled out a sheet on each wine and noted our impressions. It was interesting to see what others thought. I particularly had a hard time pinpointing smells, which is odd because I have a good nose. I can tell you a wine is fruity, but which fruit exactly…? When another student yells it out, a light goes on. Ah yes, grapefruit! I’ll need practice with the smells, but John notes that no impression of a wine is wrong. Taste is subjective.

After tasting six wines and discussing, the evening was over. We had all loosened up a bit from the beginning of the class, thanks to the wine and good times. The wine did me just right as I somehow found myself in the men’s bathroom. Embarrassingly the teacher ran into me as I was heading out. I hope he had enough wine to erase that memory.

Favorite wine of the night – Annabella – a buttery, smooth Chardonnay from California that I thought smelled of gardenias, but no one else did. I know a gardenia, that’s for sure. What do they know?

Favorite piece of information - The metal screw cap that’s becoming more popular with good wine is called a Stelvin closure. Add that to your vocabulary.