There is more to tasting wine than putting your nose in the glass!

The first thing we are taught to do with a glass of wine is to look at it. The second thing is to smell it, and only after we smell it do we tip the glass to taste the wine, though I do realize when you are thirsty, you might go right to step three! Which is the most important step? You might be tempted to say taste, but consider this: the taste buds on our tongues can only perceive five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and that elusive savory quality called umami. 

In this course we explore what that means in your glass. Curious as to how this works? Pour a glass of wine, pinch your nose closed and taste the wine. Without your nose to help you, all you will detect is some sweetness (that’s the alcohol and the basic sweetness of the wine), sour (that’s the acidity) and maybe a little bitterness from tannin. Now, stop pinching your nose and try tasting again – all those other elements like fruitiness, floral notes, spice…everything comes out in your wine, but only when you allow your nose to help. We might say that the taste buds provide taste but the nose provides flavor. In other words, the nose knows.

This 2-day course covers 14 classic grape varietals and the flavor/aroma profiles associated with them. For each grape variety, you will be provided with a selection of 3 to 5 strips dipped in pure aromatic essences commonly associated with that grape. You will smell each element individually, and then experience how they work together. We will coach you in developing techniques for identifying the aromatic characters individually and together.

For more information on the course, click the button below for a full course description, or click the register button to go straight to the registration page for all our Miami classes. There is a strict cap on the number of seats in this masterclass.