Awesome Day Twenty-One: Wine School(ed)

I worked at a winery for all of three months when I lived in Oregon when I was 22.  I pretty much hated the job, but it was a job when I really needed one, and I did learn at least a little something about wine.  I also learned that you could kinda make up anything to describe the bouquet or the flavor profile of a wine, and 90% of the customers would agree wholeheartedly.  Wine is one of those things everyone wants to pretend they understand, but only a few people really do.

I've been working in bars for the last four years, so my wine knowledge has gotten somewhat better.  I know the basics--what's sweet, what's dry, which one is more buttery, which one has more of a berry flavor, what will taste good with the steak and what is better with the salmon.  It's kind of a requirement of the job.

But to say that I know wine would be a lie.  That statement is reserved for sommeliers, in my opinion--you know, the ones that study for years and years to actually acquire the knowledge.  The ones that have special tastebuds and have passed all those tests.  You guys, that master sommelier test has a lower pass rate than the Bar exam.  In fact, it's one of the hardest tests in the world.  Respect.

Anyway, wine is still something I love to know more about.  And I really love to drink it.  So when this (super Awesome) wine bar in downtown LA started hosting Wine School once a month, I was intrigued.  When I found out that "wine school" really meant drink-ten-samples-of-wine-til-you're-tipsy-and-maybe-learn-some-stuff, I was in.

When you arrive at wine school, you are handed a packet of questions and a pencil.  There are three questions for each of the ten wines featured.  A panel of three wine experts (and personalities) answer each question; you pick who answered it correctly.  After each set of questions, a trained (and Awesome) sommelier gets up to thoroughly explain each wine and gives the correct answers.

I really did learn things.

I learned that Rieslings are characterized by apricot and peach aromas.  I learned that noble rot is a fungus on the grape that actually enhances the flavor of the wine (unless it turns into grey rot, and then you're screwed).  I learned that Petite Syrah and Syrah grapes are not in any way related.  I learned that if you have to rinse your wine glass in between wines to not use water, as water is a polar molecule and wine is a non-polar molecule, and the water will create a barrier between the wine and the glass (you should instead swirl your glass with whatever wine you will be drinking next).  I learned that Moscato is the perfect wine to sip while listening to a rap song and eating wedding cake.

As the owner, Lorena, stated at the end of the night, "We hope you had fun tonight.  If you didn't have fun, we hope you learned something.  And if you didn't learn something, we hope you're hammered."

Yep.  Wine School is Awesome.