In the restaurant and hospitality business, knowing your way around a wine cellar can really impact profits. Which is why our Fundamentals of Wine class will give you a significant advantage in the marketplace. Designed by our Dean of Wine Studies, Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, this refreshing course takes the snobbery and mystery out of tasting and selling fine wine. Our wine faculty has taught thousands to understand wine through experiential learning, and "the light goes on every time." Each class features in-depth tastings. Wines are poured, discussed, compared and demystified. Descriptors of aroma and taste suddenly make sense. Proper food pairings are revealed, and absorbed. Best of all, it's fun.

You'll learn to make wine a profit center.
Your appreciation of wine grows even more once you learn how your knowledge can become a profit center. You'll learn to merchandise wine in any context, from hospitality to corporate to retail. To create wine lists that "work" for guests, staffers, your food program, and your bottom line. And to cultivate salesmanship at the tableside with customers. In short, The Fundamentals of Wine teaches you to select wine intelligently, suggest it diplomatically, price it correctly, serve it beautifully, store it prudently, and train your staff to do the same. This course is a must for anyone in the culinary field who lacks these critical skills.

 

Session 1
Introduction
How to taste like a pro (it's not hard, but it's different); Label lingo - what's important, and what isn't; The Big Six grape varieties - quality and style benchmarks for the entire world, and for the wine list; The Big Six grapes in America

Session 2
Putting Wine Flavors and Styles into Words Oaky, tannic, crisp, dry, buttery, delicate, intense, fruity, subtle…what these styles taste like, and how to use the label to spot them; Balancing the styles on a wine list; Talking about flavors

Session 3
Exotic Flavors, the New World Down Under
Spicy, smoky, grassy, floral - tasting exotic grapes and flavors, putting them on the wine list; Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand - choosing, tasting and selling Southern Hemisphere wines

Session 4
France - The World's Wine Paradigm
Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace, Rhone, Loire - French classic paradigm wines, and the varietal wines they inspire

Session 5
A Flavor Map of the Wine and Food World
Wine and food flavor dynamics - pairing wine and food by regions, by styles and by flavor profiles; Classic wine and food flavor affinities; Salty, sweet, spicy, hot - pairing when the food speaks with an exotic accent

Session 6
Cool-Climate Classics: Champagne and Sparkling wines, Germany, Loire Valley Whites, Late Harvest Wines
Choosing, tasting, listing and handling bubbly wine, German Riesling and Loire whites; Food-pairing magic with the cool-climate classic wines; Dessert wine pairing

Session 7
Italy, Spain, and Fortified Wines
The classic Spanish and Italian reds - Riserva, Reserva, and quality levels; Wines with bottle age - choosing, tasting, listing, and pairing; Fortified wines, from aperitivo to dessert; Wine and cheese

Session 8
The Bottom Line
Red, white…and black (ink); Beverage cost basics; Storage and inventory; Handling and preserving wine by the glass; Glassware and decanting

 

Please note: If the start date that you are selecting is full, we will enroll you in the next available start date with that same schedule.

Schedule 1: Afternoon Schedule
Thursdays, 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Start	End	Cost
September 11, 2008	November 6, 2008	$ 995

Schedule 2: Weekend Intensive
Friday & Saturday, 9:00am - 5:00pm & Sunday, 9:00am - 2:00pm

Start	End	Cost
November 14, 2008	November 16, 2008	$ 995

Laura Maniec, Wine Instructor and Corporate Beverage Director at B.R. Guest Restaurants
Marnie Old: Sommelier and Director of Wine Studies at The FCI