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City Winery Wine School: France; Bordeaux, Loire, Southern France

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    Tue, July 10, 2018 (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)

City Winery Chicago
1200 W Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60607
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Cost: $60

Summer 2018 Wine Class Series : France Series - Loire / Bordeaux / Southern France, 07/10/18

 Bonjour! This package is for one class in a series of three.  Each course stands alone, or can be packaged. To purchase the package, click below

From the vineyard to the winery to the glass, each varietal has its own virtues and nuances, and there’s no better way to learn about them than through firsthand tasting. In this series of interactive, geeky, “research”-intensive courses, held in our cozy barrel room, you’ll sip a range of classic expressions and styles of numerous grapes while delving into history, genealogy, geography, and terroir, as well as production methods, aging, flavor profiles, and food pairings. You’ll sharpen your wine knowledge, gain confidence, and strengthen your understanding of your own tastes. Join us and get educated, with a glass in hand!

This course includes a family style selection of cheese and charcuterie with baguette. 

 

Course Overview:

The Loire Valley is home to Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, but also Chenin Blanc and Melon de Bourgogne. An amazing stretch of over 700 miles from the salt encrusted banks of the Atlantic into the heart of the French countryside. Piercing wines that speak of place. A familiar batch of wines to ease us into the educational series.

 
An epicenter for collectable wine and the most awe - inspiriing chateau, Bordeaux is of the highest reknown, but also amongst the most misunderstood wine regions.  I don’t drink Bordeaux often, partly because of the exorbiant prices of the top chateau, which often makes it prohibitive to purchase, and partly because I don’t drink fancy wine at home on a daily basis. But, each time, I am reminded why this wine is the template from which so many of the darling domestic wines model themselves. The Bordeaux blend is all the rage these days. Taste and learn about the original wine, the history and the all important food pairing.  Did we mention that it is based upon Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and friends?!  We shall also delve into the white wine of the region, both dry and dessert.
 
The benchmark for Cabernet and Merlot, Bordeaux is steeped in extensive history of a city, of the vineyards, of the chateau. Bordeaux is mapped, classified, and intricately qualified. Status matters.  Location matters. And size.

In-depth study is required to truly understand the historical drama and the complex situation, so, we are here to keep it casual, interactive, and fun while sipping and learning.We'll cover the quick and dirty introduction, but also dive into the nitty gritty. We will discuss the 1855 Classification system, but also the soils, the Right and Left Bank, red and white wine, with a dash of sweetness to top it off.  1855. The top chateaus classified and set in stone. First premier cru through  fifth.  Only five chateaux qualify for the First Growth status, with  all others falling in line. Southwestern France, close to the coast, in a  low lying, marshy plain with softly rolling hills and outcroppings of  gravel, with sand and clay.  The Right Bank to the east...St. Emilion of  note. The Left Bank to the west...Medoc downstream and Graves upstream. With wine history spanning back to 48AD with the Romans, the gravel banks of the Gironde Estuary, the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, as well as the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, this is a place like no other in the world.

Amidst the  bustle of a busy urban city, the vines and the gravel stretch on out, while the Chateau perch on top. The five(ish) allowed grapes are each and every one a 'noble' varietal, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec (Carmenere, too, if we are being totally honest). Not just red, but white and sparkling  and sticky sweet, too.  We’ll pop open the classics, Right and Left, but  also a white and maybe even a treat to wrap up.  Perhaps we'll toss in a white Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, to balance on out the equation, as well as a sweet and spendy Sauternes. The  classic, the most refined, structured and lusted after. The wines of Bordeaux are coveted, invested in, and auctioned off.  The futures...the dollars and the ratings, the collection, cultivation, and  the cult. Put on your serious wine tasting shoes, this is a class that bites back. 

 
Southern France is a broad sweep, but, from Bordeaux we'll venture to similar lands, and then hop into Mediterranean influenced areas and flirt with the edges of the Rhone Valley. Deep and dusty red with briny, lusicous white and so much rosé!

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