[DFW] Wine Classes

[jsmeeker]

[Moderator's Note: This post has been split off as a new topic from the discussion topic on Premier Wines of Plano.]

Has anyone else taken a wine class at the new Tony's or Premier? If so, please post a report in the appropriate topic.

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I'm interested in taking some sort of basic wine class some place in the Dallas area. May not be at Premier or Tonys, but I jsut don't know what's available. Do you have any suggestions? Or maybe you can direct me to a thread that does have some suggestions?

Thanks.

[Dana]

Check into Central Market. The Houston store gives classes often, and I'd bet Dallas does too.

[LDLee]

You might want to check out the website www.localwineevents.com. They provide a listing of wine tastings, classes and events in many cities. I subscribe to their free email newsletter for Houston. I checked, and they list over 60 activities in Dallas. One of the classes that seemed interesting to me is Wine Fundamentals at El Centro College and organized by the International Sommelier Guild.

[jsmeeker]

You might want to check out the website www.localwineevents.com.  They provide a listing of wine tastings, classes and events in many cities.  I subscribe to their free email newsletter for Houston.  I checked, and they list over 60 activities in Dallas.  One of the classes that seemed interesting to me is Wine Fundamentals at  El Centro College and organized by the International Sommelier Guild.

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Thanks for the suggesting this site. Looks pretty good. I did see the class that you mention, but it actually appears to be a full blown course towards actual certification as a sommelier. It appears to run for 6 months and costs $1500. A bit more than what I was looking for, though.

Still, I DO appreciate the link. I'm checking it out now.

[Richard Kilgore]

You might want to check out the website www.localwineevents.com.  They provide a listing of wine tastings, classes and events in many cities.  I subscribe to their free email newsletter for Houston.  I checked, and they list over 60 activities in Dallas.  One of the classes that seemed interesting to me is Wine Fundamentals at  El Centro College and organized by the International Sommelier Guild.

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Thanks for the suggesting this site. Looks pretty good. I did see the class that you mention, but it actually appears to be a full blown course towards actual certification as a sommelier. It appears to run for 6 months and costs $1500. A bit more than what I was looking for, though.

Still, I DO appreciate the link. I'm checking it out now.

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As you can see, the problem is that there are few introductory courses...the UT Arlington one being the exception. Faced with this myself, I chose to check out the eG Forums Wine forum and get some advice on basic books to read, as well as plumbing that forum for the substantial amount of information it has to offer. Our member joiei had also recommended Jancis Robinson's book How To Taste, so it was my entry to understanding Wine better.

Next I got a DVD set that she did from Amazon, and it is terrific in so many ways. I can not think of anything better to accompany any first book on Wine. Her book and the DVD set cover everything any intro course would cover, you just have to arrange your own tasting...which you probably can do better using her book anyway...and you get a visual tour of the great wine regions of the world and interviews with some of the leading wine people from France to Australia.

In conjunction with that I started getting on local wine shops' email lists for tastings and gradually reading more widely, following whatever interests me. Tastings run anywhere from free (my favorite) to about $50. A number of places offer flights of 3 or more wines with 2 ounce servings, so you can taste selectively and learn a lot.

It's important to do some comparison shopping at various wine shops and find at least one wine consultant who you feel comfortable with, trust his or her judgement, and let them help you in exploring. You will have to tell these folks that you are wanting to learn more about wine, because they often have to deal with impatient people who just want a bottle of something to go with a steak or to impress someone, and don't want to hear that choosing a best wine to go with your steak might require a couple of questions..like what else are you serving with the steak? I have found that being openly ignorant about what I am ignorant about

and asking good questions is generally well received, since it helps the salesperson not worry so much about offending me. And asking good questions is a good way to find out what the depth of knowledge is for a wine consultant, too.

There are several winemakers, wine critics, wine consults and other members with much experience who post regularly in the Wine forum. One of our wine forum hosts, Mary Baker (Rebel Rose) owns a vineyard in Paso Robles, California. So I try to check the forum daily, too.

However, jsmeeker, if you do find a local course and go, please do report on it. And if you go to some tastings, please report on that, too, in this topic on the Dallas - Ft. Worth Wine Tasting Trail.

[jsmeeker]

Thanks.

I was thinking of looking into some books as well. Something really basic to start. Like a "Wine for Dummies" (I'm sure they have that actual title in that collection, though it doesn't have to be that one).

I'm thinking of heading down to Best Cellars this weekend to check it out. I like that area, and this could be yet another store on Knox where I can part with my money. There is also a place up in McKinney that caught my eye. (althought that's a bit of a drive for me). finding a reputable, turstworthy merchant is something I'm interested in.

But i'll certainly report my findings.