Wine Tastings

For 6 weeks at the beginning of this year I took wine tasting classes with Johan's University wine society. He's a major wine dork (expert who holds tasting and classes), he talks and teaches me about wine all the time, and I've really gotten into it. I really enjoy getting my private lessons but I thought it would be fun to sit down and nerd out with other wine dorks. So I did.

During the 6 classes I got to taste 6 or so great wines from each region/style we learned about; Red Bordeaux, Dessert Wine, Syrah, Riesling, and Red Bourgogne. It was a great way to get a good overview of how wines of a certain style usually or can taste. Though I also learned that every wine really is all it's own, and the only way you can ever be certain you like something is to try it. We also tried wines from different price ranges anywhere from 100:- to 800:- SEK ($15 to $120), we would vote on favorites and the most expensive wines didn't always win. Wine is really annoying in this way. Just because a bottle is more expensive doesn't mean it's better. (Side note, there is a big difference between wines under $15, which I am never very impressed by. Why? They just don't taste as much in my opinion, like juice, and I don't like juice.)

 

At each tasting we set up our wine tasting glasses in a row, and got a small glass of each to try blind (the bottles were decanted and numbered so we wouldn't be swayed). We also all received a form to fill out with notes on color, scent, aromas, and any comments. We also voted on best and worst (worst is pretty easy to figure out, but finding a favorite was the hardest. There were so many that were great!) Over all it was a really fun experience. One usually doesn't have the opportunity to try 6 of the same type of wine at the same time to really figure out what one likes (at least I don't.) Sometimes Johan and I do mini tastings with just two bottles, which is really fun, and makes a fancy weekend dinner time a little more interesting and interactive. Also fun to do with guests too of course!