I have two days left in France before I fly out on Thursday morning. There are two things on my list. The first is to take a rest day. I've covered many more miles (kilometers) on foot in Bordeaux than I was anticipating. Overall, I am feeling pretty good, but over the last few days, I have noticed that the muscles in my legs are tighter, resulting in a tightening of the tendons near my knee. There is slight discomfort but no pain, similar to having a tight muscle. It appears I now need to change up my stretching routine. A rest day will do me some good. The second thing on my agenda is to devote a day to developing and refining my knowledge and skills in tasting wine. For the latter, I use my rest day to book two different experiences that will consume my entire last day here.
I head out around 9 am to ensure I have enough time to grab a pastry and refreshments before a 2-hour wine tasting masterclass. My go-to "breakfasts" in France are 1) a pastry called un pain au chocolate (a.k.a. chocolatine; chocolate bread); 2) a pastry called pain aux raisins (raisin bread); 3) quiche or a banana if I can find either 1 or 2. Unfortunately, the French don't eat much for breakfast; I think it is because they eat so late at night.
A little around 1015 am, I arrive at the location. A beautiful little wine shop not too far from the Grand Opera House in Bordeaux. I am the first to arrive.
Today's masterclass is set for 5 people. Shortly after I sit, two other couples arrive, one is from Germany and the other from the Netherlands. Both couples drove to Bordeaux so they could bring wine back with them. The course is being taught in English, and all five of us converse quite a bit during the class. I am having a lot of fun chatting with my new acquaintances.
Our instructor brings out a charcuterie board for each of us. The board consists of slices of duck sausage and a wedge of pork pâté; both are delicious; two slices of sheep's cheese, which smells just like Irish sheep, a thin piece of cow cheese, and a soft wedge of goat cheese. Also on the board are almonds, hazelnuts, and bread to cleanse your palate between wines.
Our instructor Oz is 22 years old and studies here in Bordeaux, dedicating himself to becoming a wine expert. He says there is so much to learn about wine but hopes that by age 26, he will be officially recognized as an expert. He's already been studying wine for 4 years. Bordeaux is the mecca for those who want to learn about wine.
We begin the class by passing several tiny-smelling vials. Notice them in the top-right of the picture above. Each vial represents a distinct aroma. Wine experts have a complete set for each red and white wine. We use these to help us recognize different aromas in wines and try to guess the smell as a bit of game.
Class begins with a glass of white wine, a Sauvignon-Blanc blend from Entre-Deaux-Mers. All wines are blends of multiple grapes these days. It is rare to find a wine produced entirely from one type of grape. Instead, wines are blended to develop complex flavors and to make them more enjoyable to drink.
Oz demonstrates the different steps of wine tasting: 1) evaluate the color to determine if the wine is young or old. For example, white wines have a green hue around the edges of the glass when tilted at 45 degrees. Younger wines have a larger area of green hue than older wines; 2) lift and smell the wine. What do you notice?; 3) Oxygenate the wine by swirling the wine. Smell it again. This reveals even more aromas; 4) Take a tiny sip, swirl it in your mouth, to prepare the palate; 5) Take a regular drink and lightly inhale some air. This oxygenates the wine further and releases its full complexity of flavors. The sound reminds me of a water whistle; After demonstrating, Oz spits his wine into a spittoon. Most wine experts use a spittoon and seldom swallow wine while on the job. This is a shame; the wines are so tasty that I feel like it is a waste to spit them out. By the end of the class, I realized that nothing is left of the wine to enjoy when you swallow. Spitting makes a lot of sense, and this is the only way a person can taste many wines without becoming impaired.
Our next three glasses are red wines, a Cabernet-Sauvignon, a Cabernet Franc, and a Merlot. Each contains a mix of the other two grapes, ranging from 5-10%. For example, the Cabernet-Sauvignon is 80% Cabernet, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot. Merlot has a distinct taste of spice and black pepper that are natural flavors from the grapes. Of the wines we tasted, the Merlot is my least favorite. The Cabernet Franc, Oz's favorite, is alright; for me, it lacks depth, but this is why Oz likes it as an easy light red wine to drink. My favorite is the Cabernet-Sauvignon; it has beautiful complexity without the heaviness and pepper taste of the Merlot. Ironically, most people have these two wines switched and believe the Cabernet-Sauvignon to be the heavier of the two wines. Another subtly of wines is that they smell and taste different to everybody.
Next, Oz pours us two more glasses of wine. These bottles are covered by a wine sleeve, so we cannot see the labels. My task, apply my new skills and see if I can determine which wine is from which region. Before we start, Oz spends time helping us decode Bordeaux wine labels. "All wineries are châteaus, and you can put this on a label, even if you only have a tent on the estate and not an actual château," he says. My colleague from the Netherlands says, "Château Le Tent. I like the sounds of that!" We all laugh and joke about how this could be the new up-and-coming fad in Bordeaux. Oz tells us that this part of the label is meaningless. It is all about the Appellations on the labels. Appellations are regional rules that wine growers agree to follow. For example, if you produce wine in the Saint-Émilion Region and want the Saint-Émillion Appalletion on your label, one limitation is that you can't irrigate your vines. It is much more prestigious for wineries to be affiliated with an Appalletion, so wineries follow the rules. However, some wineries just want to produce what they choose, so the label they have says "Grand Vin de Bordeaux" instead of the "Saint-Émilion Vin" on the label.
This is an example of a typical label for wines in France, not one we sampled, that is specific to the Bordeaux region. The top line reads it was bottled at the Château, meaningless. A château's premier wine will carry the same name, in this case, Château Margaux. If anything other than Châteaux appears, it is one of their many different wines, but not the premier. That doesn't mean it is a lesser quality. Wineries are only allowed to have one wine ranked; they call this their premier wine. Below the picture, Premier Grand Cru Classé means this is a rated wine within the Appellation. Below is information on the specific Appellation, in this case, Margeaux Appellation. Don't look for this particular wine; this is a $2,000 bottle of wine, depending on the year.
I apply my new skills and easily assign the two wines to their regions. The Cabernet-Sauvignon from the Left Bank and the Merlot to the Right Bank. The class wraps up a little after 12 pm. I laugh when I think most of the folks back home are sound asleep, and I am 6 glasses of wine deep into my day already! Good thing I am on foot and ate before class. This was a great class worth the $50 it cost me. I learned so much, and it has opened my senses to appreciating wine in a way I never have before. A skill that is undoubtedly transferrable and one that I am looking forward to applying in my travels. The class and additional trips can be booked via Olala Bordeaux.
So, it is time to grab lunch before my afternoon winery and tasting tour in Saint-Emilion. Had I known what I know now, I would have booked a trip to the Medoc region instead, for the wine; however, the town of Saint-Émilion is a UNESCO site, and I am looking forward to the 5-hour trip.
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