Classes are a great way to drink and learn

Sally and I attended a wine and cheese pairing class at Village Vino this week. I'm pretty sure I'd flunk a test on what was taught, but our experience was proof that classes can be a fun way to learn a few new things, meet cool people, and drink great wine.

Our class was facilitated by Village Vino's own Rita Pirkl and cheese expert Mary Palmer. We tasted eight wine and cheese pairings, and were seated at a table with seven other participants so we could discuss our reactions to each one. 

Here were the pairings:

• NV Villa Sandi Prosecco paired with Brillat Savarin
• NV Over the Moon Sparking Pinot Noir paired with Ewephoria
• 2011 Domaine Girault Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) paired with Bucheron
• 2011 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc paired with Chabrin
• 2010 Copain "Tous Ensemble" Pinot Noir paired with Zamorano
• 2010 Cervantes Mt. Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon paired with Fiscalini 18-month bandaged cheddar
• NV Nierport 10yr Tawny Port paired with 5yr vintage Gouda
• NV Quinta do Noval "Black" Ruby Port paired with Bleu de Auvergne

They were all expertly paired, and I did manage to learn a few things. For example, hard cheese generally works better with reds while softer cheeses generally pair better with white. And, there are actually some really good cheese and port pairings!

More important, our experience was a great reminder that classes can be a lot of fun. If you are in San Diego, check out Village Vino's advanced wine and cheese pairing class on January 22. 

Talk to someone at your local wine shop or wine bar if you'd like to know more about classes in your area. There are also a lot of email newsletters that advertise local wine events. In San Diego, we're big fans of The Juice.

Wine and cheese pairing at Village Vino on January 15

Getting educated with a bottle of Prosecco

Bottles we receive as gifts are marked with who its fromOur friend Terri gave us a bottle of La Marca Prosecco this past Christmas and told us it was one of her favorite sparkling white wines. Little did we know that this thoughtful gift would touch on virtually everything we love about wine.

Shared bottles are the best bottles
Wine always tastes better when it's shared, and sparkling wine is no different. We shared the bottle with Jeff's parents, Bob and Kathy, over breakfast last weekend. They both know Terri too, so we raised a glass in her honor. And, it was fun to experience a wine our friend enjoys. The verdict was in and she definitely has good taste. (Check out Terri's awesome cooking blog, A Girl in the South and you'll see what I mean.)

It's fun to taste and pair
Good relationships are all about chemistry and pairing wine with food is no different. Get it right and it's awesome. Get it wrong and both the food and wine suffer a little. Admittedly, this is where we screwed up a little by pairing the Prosecco with cranberry muffins, bacon, and fresh pineapple and blueberries. The Prosecco had crisp peach and apple flavors, but was too sweet for the muffins and bacon. A much better pairing would have been with a light, sweet cake such as coconut. It would also be terrific on its own.

New varietals are a chance to learn
We don't have a lot of experience with Prosecco, so the La Marca was a great chance to learn a few fun facts. Prosecco comes from a wine region in Northern Italy and is made from the Glera grape. It has some similarities to Champagne or Champagne-style sparkling wine, but there are also a few important differences:

• Prosecco is made using the Charmat method where the bubbles come from a secondary fermentation done in a tank rather than the Champagne method where this fermentation is done in the bottle.
• Prosecco is meant to be light and consumed young, so it doesn't age as well as a good Champagne.
• Prosecco is generally sweeter than Champagne-style sparkling wines.