Our crowd-favorite series of wine classes continues. Enjoy a wine tasting and fascinating lecture with Acanto’s Wine Director & Certified Italian Wine Expert Torrence O’Haire, and earn new confidence in the field of Italian wine!
TASTING OF FOUR WINES | WEDNESDAYS FROM 5:30-6:30PM
*space is limited
SCHEDULE
JANUARY 28 HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN WINE: An Introduction to the Picture of Italy | 45
Welcome back to year FOUR of our study of the world of wine through the lens of Italy! We kick off this "semester" by going back to the basics - welcoming in new wine nerds, and offering an engaging review for our regular students. The first question we're asking: What IS "Italian Wine"? If it's as simple as "wine from Italy," then how can one say something "tastes Italian?" Or why are so many techniques, grapes, and styles only seen in Italy? Let's take it back to the ABCs and begin with the big picture: how do you start to speak Italian Wine?
FEBRUARY 4 HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN WINE: How Geography & Climate Affects Wine | 45
As we continue our kickoff of a new semester, we're revisiting some key "101-lessons" that inform our understanding of wine, both Italian and Internationally. This week, join Torrence for a crash course in all things geographical to get a better picture of the environment's affect on wine, and why one side of a hill might make more expensive wine than the other!
FEBRUARY 11 HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN WINE: The DOC's and Don'ts of Classification |45
One of the most frequent style of questions asked of Italian-wine-novices regards all those letters and ribbons on just about every bottle, from Aglianico to Zibbibo. DOC? DOCG? IGT? VDT? Is one of them the best? Are any of them worth it? Join Torrence this week for a deep-dive on the Italian classification system and learn which (if any) letters matter, and what on earth goes into a SuperTuscan (or Super-anything, for that matter).
FEBRUARY 18 NO CLASS
FEBRUARY 25 NO CLASS
MARCH 4 HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN WINE: Riserva Status & the Effects of Time| 55
Good year, bad year, too young, too old... who knows? Clearly time has major affects on wine, both positive and negative - but why? And how do you know if the bottle your opening is over-the-hill already, or if you're ruining its potential? Join Torrence for a chronologically-themed tasting to discover the pros and cons of "development" and what makes a flavor "tertiary" - before it's too late!
MARCH 11 HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN WINE: The Shaky Ground of Soil| 45
"You can really taste the minerals from the soil in this" - said no wine scholar ever. And yet, the concept of soil is intrinsic to the expression of wines...so why is it so hard to pin down? Join Torrence for a fascinating (and frustratingly non-committal) overview of the idea of soil in wine, what soil types can actually influence, and exactly what you're tasting when a wine tastes "salty".
MARCH 18 HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN WINE: Italy Goes International | 55
Whether or not you're on the path to becoming an Italian Wine expert, or if you're just a pizza-night fan-boy, you, and probably everyone you know, can recognize some of the famous international tropes of Italian wine - the straw-basket Chianti, the billboard for cheap-Lambrusco-on-ice, the contraband can of prosecco... This week, we'll discuss the International reach of viticulture, both past and present; how did the world affect Italian wine, and how did Italian wine affect the world?
MARCH 25 PASSAPORTO: ABRUZZO - The Wines of the Eastern Mountain Coast |45
We'll pause our "Wine 101" series this week for a study of Central Italy as we wind down our spring features from Abruzzo & Molise. Join Torrence for an interesting exploration of two lesser-known and underloved regions making a surprisingly wide variety of wines in surprisingly harsh growing conditions, plus discover your new favorite "food-pairing-wine" ever - Cerasuolo!
APRIL 1 PASSAPORTO: LIGURIA - The Wines of the Western Mountain Coast |45
Swing the sails in the other direction - this week we're headed to the opposite coast to explore the rare and curious wines of Liguria! Difficult to find, tiny in production, but exciting to discover - especially in contrast to our Abruzzese features - plus they're the best pairing for the most famous of Ligurian specialties: Pesto alla Genovese!
