• Tweet

So, do you know your DOC from your DOCG? And hey, what about explaining the difference between a Dolcetto D'Alba and a Barbaresco D'Alba?

NYC has many wine education events. For those of you in NYC who read this blog, I'll be going to more of them this season to give you an insider's view of what the experience is like in terms of educational value, speaker's knowledge, and more.

Morrell's Wine Store, for example, has frequent Free In-Store Tastings. In addition, they offer Wine 101 type classes, as well as educational tastings with a theme. I attended a sake seminar a few months back which brought out the big guns -- the brewers fresh from Japan, two sake wine book authors, and dozens of types of sake to try (in addition to really great sushi).

January 4, 2007 was Piedmont night at this tasting, which is held in the Morrell Wine Store. Piedmont is a region in Italy near the alps famed for its wine for centuries. Currently, the prized wine among aficionados is Barolo ... which can go for several hundred dollars a bottle.

Speaker Kevin Shannon (he also mans the store) is a wine savvy guy who gave a great introduction on how to appreciate wine for the students, who ranged from wine geeks to people just getting interested in wine.

"Look at the color," Kevin said of a lemon yellow Arneis Blange Ceretto Italian White. "It's a good guide to the wine's intensity. Next, inhale the bouquet." This white had notes of minerals and lemon, a great pairing with shellfish.

Next came the big guns ... the Sito Moresco Angelo Gaja 2003 ($53) with its notes of red berries, cherry, and sweet cherry spice.

One of the more interesting tidbits of the evening was when we were poured a Dolcetto D'Alba Conterno Fantino Bricco Bastia 2005 ($20), a light, fruit forward wine, a variety which Kevin said shoppers often ask for by name, confusing it with Barbaresco D'Alba, a deeper, more tannin-rich red wine somewhat similar to Cabernet Sauvignon. (Alba is the specific region)

My favorite of the evening was the Barolo Mauro Molino Gancia 1999 ($35), a deep garnet wine that still seemed as if it needed seven to ten years to age. They are drinkable now, but be sure to decant for a day or so.

After sampling the wines, the guests (16 max) socialized around the delicious cheeses from the Piedmont region. Some (like me!) took advantage of the 10% savings to explore more wine. A very edifying and educational event. You can find out about other classes here

Subscribe to our newsletter to read more articles like this.   

• Tweet