Wine Elements

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BASICS

of wine tasting via estate-bottled French wines. We break the class into two parts. The first part begins with a general overview of the geography of French wine regions and their principle grape varietals. A particular focus is lent to how wines are classified in France.

The first part

begins with a general overview of the geography of French wine regions and their principle grape varietals. A particular focus is lent to how wines are classified in France. By discussing the French ‘appelation’ system, we help decipher typical French wine labels. This part of the class develops an understanding of key regions and grape types, but also demonstrates the idea that French wines are defined primarily by the location of the vineyard where they’re grown.

The second part

of the class concerns how to taste and appreciate French wines. The aim here is to perceive and appreciate various wine styles and to trace these styles back to the places and people who make the wines. The tasting familiarizes students to the essential building blocks of wine: acidity and sweetness, tannins and alcohol, aromatics and flavors. It’s one thing to taste a wine , and another to manage talking about it! So one key aspect of the second part of the class is providing some common words and language used when tasting wines.

Juan Sanchez

is a Cuban American who arrived in Paris in 1989 to study French and persue his passion for cooking. In 1993 he attended Ferrandi, the prestigious cooking school. After opening his wine shop La Dernière Goutte in 1996 he went on to open the restaurants Fish La Boissonnerie (1999), Semilla (2012) and Freddys (2015) all in the Saint-Germain-des-Près neighborhood. He most recently realized his dream in opening a true garden to table restaurant , Le Garde Champêtre (2018), located in the heart of the southern Champagne region. Throughout this unique career, he has defined a particular tasting style while developing close relationships with wine makers.He has championed small growers with an emphasis on organic and biodynamic farming.

Thibault Lafarie

was a regular stalker of the wine shop in the early 2000’s. We finally ended up hiring him on his wife’s request in order to get him out of the house. Since then he has become a driving force in the direction of La Dernière Goutte and has compiled a record 5 Manager of the Year awards and is well-positioned to win an impressive 6th this coming year.

Hayden Clout

is a New Zealander with 30 years experience in the wine trade. Working in restaurants in Auckland from the early 90’s before moving to London to study wine at the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (1997-1999) and tended bar at Kensington Place. Returning home to work as head sommelier and wine buyer at Habourside restaurant in Auckland in 2000. He then moved to Paris in 2003 and managed Fish La Boissonnerie from 2003-2010. In 2011 he went on to open Albion restaurant/wine shop until 2017.

Our goal in the introductory class

is to demystify the world of French wines and to help students better appreciate and talk about a variety of wine styles. The class is suited for wine enthusiasts with some tasting experience but is particularly adapted to beginners.