Local Wine Events

Wine & Food: Pairing For Perfection
with instructors Steve Stein and Bob Galivan

“I don't try to match wine with food, I just drink what I like.”
Mario Lemieux

Mario’s approach may produce goals in hockey, but for wine and food he’s missing the net. The quality revolutions of wine and cuisine and the growth of the artisanal food movement have taught us that the right match of wine and food can really enhance our eating and drinking experience. We all like good wine and good food, but trying to pair them to get the most out of both can be a real challenge. The goal of this series is to introduce you to the art of pairing wine and food. It will give you the confidence to create great pairings whatever the starting point, wine or food. As we taste through some great wines and cheeses in our first three class sessions, we’ll explore the cornerstones of wine and cheese tasting: appearance, aroma, flavor, and finish. As the keys to successful pairing, they serve as guides for making great matches and avoiding poor ones. In the fourth session, we'll undertake the greatest pairing challenge of all: Thanksgiving dinner! Finally, the last class will challenge you to use your newly-gained knowledge to achieve new levels of opulence, pairing dessert and dessert wines!

When he’s not teaching wine classes at Dante Alighieri or doing wine research, Steve Stein Ph.D. is Professor of History at the University of Miami. His book, Wine Revolutions, is the first comprehensive treatment of the history of Argentine wine. Dr. Stein has been a member of the South Florida International Wine Challenge Tasting Board and was the winner of the Miami International Wine Fair’s First Annual South Florida Wine and Food Pairing Competition.

Bob Galivan is a Realtor by day, which allows him to support his true passion: Cheese! Bob blogs under his “nom-de-gruyere” FromageBob for the web publication examiner.com, where he writes the national cheese column, several wine review columns, and a book review column. Bob also hosts his own blog at FromageBob.com, which has been described as “a cheese blog for the average joe.” Bob is a member of the American Cheese Society, and recently participated in their national cheese conference in Raleigh, North Carolina which, in their closing gala, featured (much to his delight) 1,711 cheeses available to taste. He does not remember how far he got…

All sessions begin at 7:00 on Friday nights
Location: Societá Dante Alighieri, 300 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables
Cost: $295.00 Includes all wines, food matches, a Dante Tasting Glass, tasting guides for each class, a wine aroma wheel, a guide to buying and storing cheese, and a cheese flavor/aroma profile guide. 

Schedule of Sessions
October 5
Session 1 Opening our noses, our palates, and a few other senses: Advanced tasting techniques

The sensory pleasure of tasting wine comes in a large part from the aromas present in the wine. But how do they get there? Do they put blueberries or cherries or peaches in the wine? We’ll start the session with a “wine aroma encounter,” in which we will challenge ourselves to identify specific aromas in glasses of a red and a white wine. It’s a great way to train your nose to be on the lookout for particular aromatic characteristics of wines. Then, we’ll do the same thing with two cheeses (that’s right – cheeses have aroma profiles, too!). In the second half of the class, we’ll learn about the other key components of wine and cheese appreciation: Appearance, flavor, and finish. Then, we’ll see how each wine pairs with each cheese. At the end of the class, you’ll understand what part each of your senses plays in wine and cheese tasting. These are the basics for creating a perfect paring of each.

The Wines: Torrontés from Argentina, Ribolla Gialla from Italy, Pinot Noir from California, and Chianti from Italy. 
The Cheeses: Garrotxa from Spain and a Clothbound Cheddar

October 19
Session 2: Perfect Pairings: Exploring one of the world’s classic wine and cheese pairings

Building on what we learned in our first session, we’ll taste one of the world’s most venerable wines, Sauvignon Blanc. We’ll start by comparing distinct expressions of the wine made in different regions (appellations) of the world. You will be surprised at the varieties of aromas and flavors that can arise from the same grape. Next, we’ll explore goat’s milk cheeses – possibly the oldest class of cheeses in the world, and considered the classic pairing for Sauvignon Blanc. As you’ll discover, all goat cheeses are not the same, and a great pairing with one wine may not be a winner with another. Our goat cheeses will range from fresh to aged, with some rather surprising variations in the middle.

The Wines: Sauvignon Blanc from France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and California. 
The Cheeses: Fresh Chèvre, Queso Leonora, Humboldt Fog, Goat Gouda

November 2
Session 3 Ports and Blue Cheeses: The historical pairing of elegance and refinement
Port may be the world’s first fortified wine (don’t know what that is? Don’t miss this class!). It’s considered an elegant drink; perfect to end a meal, for dessert, or even as an aperitif. Did you know that there are different kinds of port? White Port, Tawny Port, Ruby Port, Vintage Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port, and so-called Ports that are not really Port! In this class, we’ll try a sampling of Ports, learning how they differ, and the best time to drink them. Then, we’ll delight in some blue cheeses (like Port, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of types of blue cheese) to see how milk type (sheep, cow, or goat), country of origin, and even what kind of “blue” is in the cheese, affects their flavor. From there, we move on to experience a truly extraordinary pairing: Port and Blue. You think you don’t like blue? This class may change your life!

The Wines: White, Ruby, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage, and a mystery Port.
The Cheeses: Colston-Basset Stilton, Rogue River Caveman Blue, Maytag Blue, Gorgonzola Piccante, Roaring ‘40s.

November 9
Session 4: The Thanksgiving Challenge
Even the experts quake in their boots with this one!
We know wine people who come to tears when faced with the challenge of picking a wine to go with Thanksgiving Dinner. It may be the hardest meal to pair for. Just think of the variety of foods, textures, flavors, and aromas that comprise the typical feast. But no tears in this class! Chefs Steve and Bob will show up laden with typical Thanksgiving dishes and wines to pair. By the end of this class you may be stuffed, and you will certainly be ready to face your own Thanksgiving challenge!

The Wines(American Wines for an American Holiday): California Marsanne/Roussanne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel.
The Foods: Thanksgiving Dinner.

December 7
Session 5 The Desert Challenge
Test what you’ve learned with our dessert challenge!
Consider this your final exam, confident wineaux’s, ready to pair anything! We know you’ve learned so much about pairing wine and foods, so we’re going to challenge you this time(a word of warning: this might involve some research and some calories!) Desserts present a special case for pairing with wines. We’ll bring the wines, you get to make dessert. You can choose to pair with a specific wine, or try to pair with them all. The winner will get a prize – a bottle of wine of course!

The Wines: A selection of dessert wines to be announced!

Important note: We’ve listed both wines and cheeses for each session, but may have to substitute depending on price and availability! There are only twenty (20) seats available for this class, so PLEASE sign up early to guarantee space! WE PROMISE you’ll have a GREAT time!