"Students" of mine (really just good friends, but last night they were wine students) once again opened their house for what's becoming an annual event.
The Wine101 Summer School class has turned into one of the best examples of what I initially set out to accomplish. A gathering of good friends sharing great wines and food. Most of all, people who otherwise would never have tried certain wines walk away with a greater appreciation of grapes they never knew about. Without being an arrogant know it all wine snob, you express instead of dictate what you are experiencing when tasting the wine. People get it when they feel they are not being challenged, preached to or talked down to. To see the look in a person's face as they have that "eureka" moment is priceless! When you say "this wine has a ton of minerality" and someone else says softly as to not be embarrassed "this taste like Perrier water with a touch of lemon peel" and you say "YES!!! Tell everyone what you just said because you understand it!!" Then 40 people start sniffing, swirling and tasting then come to the same conclusion with additional descriptions. It's magic. At that moment your instantly surrounded by a group of wine critics comparing and contrasting each others notes over chocolate covered strawberries and homemade Friselli.
For last night's class, I brought a guest speaker to embody what Spanish wines are all about. The two of us, working much more like an Abbott & Costello act, take a virtual walking tour of Rioja while sitting on a deck in East Haven, CT. My guest is originally from Galicia Spain. You are not only getting info on the wine itself, but also get an insight to what it was like growing up there on a farm near the ocean, eating the foods that complimented the wine, etc.
The class primarily focused on wines from Rioja starting off with a Rosé made up of 100% Tempranillo. We then moved on to 2 whites both different is style but sharing similar grapes to showcase what oak can do to a wine.
Onto the reds, we walked everyone through the different stages of Rioja from Joven to Gran Reserva.
Even though Spanish wines are on a tremendous hot streak, it's still not something people would commonly grab in a store when compared to Cab or Pinot Noir or especially Chard or Pinot Grigio. To hear someone exclaim that they would rather drink Macabeo over Pinot Grigio or buy a red Rioja vs. Cabernet is eye opening. Makes you feel like you did your job.
Nights like that make me truly love this business we are in and the joy it brings. I'll say it again, wine creates great memories with friends. 
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