Wine Tastings and Class Schedule
The Distillation Tasting.
Wednesday, 10 March. 7:30pm. $40.
Burn off the winter blues with some inner heat at this, our first-ever tasting of distilled wines. Needless mystery, groundless suspicion, and silent curiosity surrounds these joyful creations, whose history reaches back to the 2nd millennium BC in Babylon. Persian chemists perfected the alembic still in the 800’s AD, and spirits were introduced to Western Europe in the 12th century. Today, distillants are crafted around the world, from Oregon to France, from Italy to Austria, and represent some of the finest achievements of beverage-making. Forget the rude, hot grappas you had as a teenager at Luigi’s: we’ll taste 20+ delectable and inspiring distilled wines, including Cognacs, Armagnacs, Brandies de Jerez, Alsatian fruit eau-de-vies, fine Italian grappas, and a few star efforts from the New World. (Required: a good palate and lots of stamina!)
Revisiting South Africa.
Wednesday, 24 March. 7:30pm. $35.
It’s been a while since we’ve looked at South Africa; there’s been a lot of buzz about the country lately, what with the World Cup coming up in Johannesberg in June, and Obama’s newsmaking fondness for Graham Beck – it seems like every day for the last several weeks someone’s talking about the country and its wines. It’s time to revisit SA's unique and changing position in the wine world today. It’s not all about Pinotage – join us as we explore the surprisingly deep, 400 year-old roots of South African winemaking, and taste through a wide swath of 30+ wines, covering all of the country’s best wards and districts, and every style of wine, from sparkling to sweet.
(South African wines featured by the glass in March.)
Piedmont Today!
Wednesday, 14 April. 7:30pm. $40.
Just as no region of Italy has the depth of tradition, or wines of such legendary ageworthiness as Piedmont, so none has been as divided by modern, technological winemaking methods and the so-called ‘global marketplace’. Drawing from our travels through Piedmont and talks with its leading winemakers, we’ll explore this divide (addressing issues of barrique vs. botti, single-cru vs. field blend), as we taste through 20+ wines, from Barolo to Barbaresco, along with selected Barberas. If you’re at all curious about the foundations of taste, present and future, for this storied zone, this is a tasting not to be missed.
Wines of the Jura and Savoie.
Wednesday, 28 April. 7:30pm. $35.
The singular character of the wines from these two eastern French regions have kept them off the casual consumer’s radar for centuries, yet when they’re encountered, and a taste for them has been acquired, they can be entirely addicting, as what’s offered is a supreme degree of pleasure, half of which is in the joy of discovery. Winemaking hasn’t changed here for 500 years; unique for indigenous varietals -chiefly Savagnin and Jacqueres [white], and Poulsard and Trousseau [red] – and historical viticulture – Vin Jaune and vin de paille – these wines stimulate the wine drinker who thinks they’ve seen it all when it comes to French wine, and endlessly reward the curious and open-minded. We’ll taste through 20+ examples of the Jura and Savoie’s finest at this first-time event.
(Jura/Savoie wines featured by the glass April-May.)
Wednesday, 10 March. 7:30pm. $40.
Burn off the winter blues with some inner heat at this, our first-ever tasting of distilled wines. Needless mystery, groundless suspicion, and silent curiosity surrounds these joyful creations, whose history reaches back to the 2nd millennium BC in Babylon. Persian chemists perfected the alembic still in the 800’s AD, and spirits were introduced to Western Europe in the 12th century. Today, distillants are crafted around the world, from Oregon to France, from Italy to Austria, and represent some of the finest achievements of beverage-making. Forget the rude, hot grappas you had as a teenager at Luigi’s: we’ll taste 20+ delectable and inspiring distilled wines, including Cognacs, Armagnacs, Brandies de Jerez, Alsatian fruit eau-de-vies, fine Italian grappas, and a few star efforts from the New World. (Required: a good palate and lots of stamina!)
Revisiting South Africa.
Wednesday, 24 March. 7:30pm. $35.
It’s been a while since we’ve looked at South Africa; there’s been a lot of buzz about the country lately, what with the World Cup coming up in Johannesberg in June, and Obama’s newsmaking fondness for Graham Beck – it seems like every day for the last several weeks someone’s talking about the country and its wines. It’s time to revisit SA's unique and changing position in the wine world today. It’s not all about Pinotage – join us as we explore the surprisingly deep, 400 year-old roots of South African winemaking, and taste through a wide swath of 30+ wines, covering all of the country’s best wards and districts, and every style of wine, from sparkling to sweet.
(South African wines featured by the glass in March.)
Piedmont Today!
Wednesday, 14 April. 7:30pm. $40.
Just as no region of Italy has the depth of tradition, or wines of such legendary ageworthiness as Piedmont, so none has been as divided by modern, technological winemaking methods and the so-called ‘global marketplace’. Drawing from our travels through Piedmont and talks with its leading winemakers, we’ll explore this divide (addressing issues of barrique vs. botti, single-cru vs. field blend), as we taste through 20+ wines, from Barolo to Barbaresco, along with selected Barberas. If you’re at all curious about the foundations of taste, present and future, for this storied zone, this is a tasting not to be missed.
Wines of the Jura and Savoie.
Wednesday, 28 April. 7:30pm. $35.
The singular character of the wines from these two eastern French regions have kept them off the casual consumer’s radar for centuries, yet when they’re encountered, and a taste for them has been acquired, they can be entirely addicting, as what’s offered is a supreme degree of pleasure, half of which is in the joy of discovery. Winemaking hasn’t changed here for 500 years; unique for indigenous varietals -chiefly Savagnin and Jacqueres [white], and Poulsard and Trousseau [red] – and historical viticulture – Vin Jaune and vin de paille – these wines stimulate the wine drinker who thinks they’ve seen it all when it comes to French wine, and endlessly reward the curious and open-minded. We’ll taste through 20+ examples of the Jura and Savoie’s finest at this first-time event.
(Jura/Savoie wines featured by the glass April-May.)
All events begin at 7:30pm and require reservations. Sign up by emailing us at signup@websterwinebar.com, or calling us @ 773.868.0608.
