A little anxious at first, in the end Dan Hill fully enjoyed his wine tasting experience, and tells us he’d go back for more…

Name:  Dan Hill
Institution:  The Institute
Course:  Wine Appreciation

When my wife suggested wine tasting I was a bit apprehensive. I’ve never been a huge wine connoisseur and I wasn’t sure what to expect from the course. However, I ended up having a thoroughly enjoyable Saturday morning and one that completely took me by surprise. The course was the right length of time, there was enough content to keep it interesting and understandable, the class was the right size and manageable and the wine tasted great.

We were introduced to some basic information about wine styles and grape varieties, then guided through the basic elements of wine tasting techniques and evaluation of Old and New World wines. Using the examples of approximately 25 different wines, we also learned about different wine regions and a little about grape varieties. The course involves tasting – the best bit – and group discussions with emphasis on enjoyment. We also had the chance to match some wines with food, something that I was keen to learn
more about.

From sampling the fresh and fruity texture of a crisp Chablis to the full flavours of a rich Tuscan Chianti, we took a lot home from the course and have since developed quite the palate for choosing the right wine for every occasion. I’d highly recommend it for both individual and small group visits but also plan on going back with a larger group in the near future. I must say that the teacher was excellent and her knowledge was incredible, but to tell us to spit the wine out went against my instincts!
 

Find Wine & Food Appreciation courses in the UK and Wine & Food Appreciation courses in London. And to learn more about general Cookery skills, browse Cookery courses in the UK and Cookery courses in London.