Wine School

2011 WINE COURSES

“Over the years I have had more positive feedback about Michael Schuster’s wine courses than any others. He seems to be the perfect teacher.” -Joanna Simon, The Sunday Times

SIX EVENING BEGINNERS COURSE ..... £299
Tuesdays: Sept: 13, 20, 27; Oct: 4, 11, 18; 2011. Time: 6.30 – 8.30 / 9.00pm

The Beginner's Course is an introduction to basic tasting technique, covering the world’s major grape varieties and their varying styles from the principal wine producing countries. It illustrates what to expect from different types of wine, which qualities to look for, how to describe them, & combining wine with food. It aims, in particular, to help you describe and appreciate different styles of wine, to perceive and articulate differences in quality, and to make up your own mind what you like. 40 wines are tasted, with prices ranging £5 to £30; the average being £7-12 a bottle.

SIX EVENING FINE WINE COURSE ….. .£432
Mondays:  Sept: 12, 19, 26; Oct: 3, 10, 17; 2011. Time: 6.30 – 8.30 / 9.00pm
The Fine Wine Course covers more advanced tasting technique, quality assessment and notemaking, based on  the classic wines and wine regions of France. It differs from the Beginners Course in that its subject matter is narrower and can be explored at much greater depth; and because its best wines are much more expensive.  The price-range across the course is from around £10 to £100+ a bottle.A fact sheet & map are provided for each region, & 8-10 wines are tasted on each occasion, illustrating a range of styles, a quality cross section, and France’s terroir concept.

The course is unusual in that, along with young examples, we show fully mature wines. These wines are increasingly rare and sought after in today’s market place. Seeing what they have to offer, how they develop with bottle age, and why one bothers to keep them, are fundamental to the appreciation and enjoyment of fine wine.

Some of the fine, mature bottles that have figured in the Fine Wine Course recently:
Evening 1: 90 Dom Perignon, 96 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque; 90 Riesling Fréd. Emile (Trimbach)
Evening 2: 02 Pouilly Fumé Silex (Dageneau); 83 Dom. de Chevalier Blanc; 88 and 64 Climens
Evening 3: 98 La Tour Figeac; 90 Clos du Marquis, 90 Pape Clément, 88 Pichon Baron
Evening 4: 89 Ch-neuf du Pape Beaucastel; 90 Crozes-Hermitage Thalabert (Jaboulet)
1990 Cornas (Clape), 1991 Côte Rôtie Blonde (Rostaing), 1997 Hermitage (Chave)
Evening 5: 86 Chablis Preuses (Dauvissat), 06 Puligny-Perrières (Sauzet),
1993 Meursault Perrières (Roulot); 1995 Bâtard-Montrachet (Jean-Noël Gagnard)
Evening 6: 99 Ruchottes -Chambertin (Rousseau), 92 Charmes-Chambertin (Dom. Bachelet)