Displaying items by tag: wine tasting

Summary: 

• What are the main tasting methods and what are their key characteristics? 
• How do different cultures, languages and sensibilities impact how wine tasting is approached? 
• Can we envision a more overarching and universal tasting method? 

These are some of the questions we will be addressing in the upcoming Meeting of the Minds on July 22nd.

Wine Scholar Guild Academic Advisor Andrew Jefford, speaking from France, will be bringing together a panel of key thinkers, educators, writers and experts in four countries to discuss a world of tasting methods. UK-based Professor Barry Smith not only directs the Institute of Philosophy at the School of Advanced Study at London University, but is also founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses/CenSes, which pioneers collaborative research between philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists. He is himself a philosopher of language and mind. Sommelière (and former philosophy student) Pascaline Lepeltier MS, speaking from New York, grew up and studied in the French tradition of wine appreciation but has spent much of her working life talking about wine to Anglophones. UK-based Matthew Stubbs MW is one of the wine world’s most experienced and popular educators, and has taught both on his own behalf and for WSET and IMW around the world. Finally, speaking from Nanning in China, comes Julien Boulard MW, one of the most brilliant of recent MW graduates and a wine educator in China whose mastery of Mandarin sees him regularly appearing on Chinese media.

Host & Panelists: 

Andrew Jefford

Andrew, Academic Advisor to the Wine Scholar Guild, has been writing about wine since 1988, notably for The Evening Standard and The Financial Times among other UK newspapers.  He has columns in every edition of Decanter magazine and World of Fine Wine magazine, and is co-chair of Decanter World Wine Awards and vice-chair of Decanter Asia Wine Awards. His books include The New France, Whisky Island and Andrew Jefford’s Wine Course.

Pascaline Lepeltier MS, MOF:

• 2018 Best French Sommelier
• Master Sommelier and Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) 
• Highly qualified and experienced speaker and presenter
• Managing Partner at Racines (NYC) and Former Beverage Director at Rouge Tomate (NYC)

Matthew Stubbs MW:

• More than 30 years experience in the wine trade, from importing and distribution to running a supermarket wine department.
• Master of Wine since 1996, winner of the Bollinger Medal for the best tasting paper and the Listel Scholarship for the best Vinification paper.
• Actively involved with the Institute as Practical Examiner, seminar lecturer or mentor.
• Mentor to many MW students over the years and continues to help them fine tune the tasting skills needed to succeed in the Practical exam.
• Regular on judging panels for wine competitions, Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge and co-President of the Sud de France Top 50 in China.
• Practical Chair of the MW Education Committee.

Julien Boulard MW:

• Born in Alsace, Julien arrived in China in 2003 after studying Mandarin at University
• After completing a Master's degree in International Affairs, he worked for five years for a wine importer in Nanning, China
• Founder and owner of Zhulian Wines wine school in China, offering both WSET and WSG programs
• His fluency in Mandarin, both spoken and written, as well as his wine knowledge and experience as a wine educator, enabled him to become a key professional on the Chinese wine scene
• He is a judge for various wine competitions in China and Hong Kong
• Read Julien's full interview HERE

Prof Barry C Smith:

• Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study.
• Founding director of its Centre for the Study of the Senses, which pioneers collaborative research between philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists.
• His current research on flavour perception involves collaborations with psychologists, neuroscientists, oenologists and chefs, and he has published theoretical and experimental papers on flavour perception in Nature, Food Quality and Preference, Chemical Senses and Flavour. 
• Editor of Questions of Taste: the philosophy of wine for Oxford University Press (2007).
• Frequent broadcaster, who regularly appears as a sensory expert on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet and BBC Two’s Inside the Factory. 
• Presenter of a 10-part series for BBC Radio 4 called The Uncommon Senses
• Frequent contributor to The World of Fine Wine and for seven years was wine columnist for Prospect Magazine.

Learn More About Wine Tasting:

• Member webinar: Taste Wine Like An MW with Matthew Stubbs MW

Summary: 

A session aimed at those who are curious about what tasting like a Master of Wine actually involves. How does it differ from other established methods and can anybody do it? We will look at how to build on your existing wine-tasting knowledge and try two wines during the session to illustrate the approach.

Don’t feel you need to be an MW student to register for this webinar, it is aimed at all levels!

Matthew will be tasting two wines during the seminar to illustrate the MW approach, a Sancerre white and a California Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley or Lodi).
If you can find them to taste along with him…great! If not, no worries you can still follow along with a dry tasting. 

Presenter: Matthew Stubbs MW 

Matthew has more than 30 years of experience in the wine trade, from importing and distribution to running a supermarket wine department. He passed the Master of Wine exam in 1996 achieving the Bollinger Medal for the best tasting paper and the Listel Scholarship for the best Vinification paper. He has been actively involved with the Institute ever since, either as Practical Examiner, seminar lecturer or mentor.

Since starting his own wine education business in 2008 the majority of his time is spent teaching and sharing his extensive knowledge of wine.

He has been a mentor to many MW students over the years and continues to help them fine tune the tasting skills needed to succeed in the Practical exam.

He is now a regular on judging panels for wine competitions, Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge and co-President of the Sud de France Top 50 in China. Matthew is also the current Practical Chair of the MW Education Committee.

Summary:

In this webinar I will address some of the intriguing questions you submitted. Varied they were, but many had a common thread: what is it about a particular soil that is so important for certain wines? I will look at some general ideas about such claims, and then consider some specific examples, such as slate in the Moselle and Priorat, granite and diorite in Beaujolais.

What exactly is the difference between granite and gneiss, and what does it mean for wines, say in South Africa’s Cape region, and in France’s Muscadet? And what about limestone? How does it lead to wines with finesse and edginess; how can its alkaline soils yield wines with marked acidity? (Ah, but do they?) How do chalk and marl fit in, and what are they exactly? Is it true that most of the world’s limestone is around the Mediterranean?

In addressing such questions in the webinar I hope to provide plenty of food for thought, and to shed some light on the wondrous world of wine and soil.

Presenter: Professor Alex Maltman

Alex Maltman is Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University, in Wales, U.K., with a long and decorated career in university teaching and research.

In addition, for over forty years Alex has grown vines and made wine, his scientific curiosity prompting questions about why things were done in certain ways and, inevitably, to the much- mentioned relationship between wine and vineyard geology.

This has led to numerous publications, in both the popular press and academic journals, and to international lectures.

Alex has advised on the geological content of a number of wine books, including the Oxford Companion to Wine and the forthcoming 8th edition of the World Atlas of Wine.

He is the author of the much acclaimed “Vineyards, Rocks and Soils, a Wine Lover’s Guide to Geology” (Oxford, 2018).

Summary:

Minerality is now the single most widely used wine descriptor, yet its meaning remains elusive. Are we talking about a smell, a mouthfeel, a taste, or what? Does it depend on the grape varietal or wine style? It’s all very debatable, and in this webinar I will summarise studies illustrating how opinions vary.

There are various suggestions on what may be prompting minerality but many commentators invoke a direct connection with the minerals in the vineyard ground. It’s a seductive idea - and very useful in marketing – but I will explain how any such link has to be highly indirect and complex.

Presenter: Professor Alex Maltman

Alex Maltman is Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University, in Wales, U.K., with a long and decorated career in university teaching and research.

In addition, for over forty years Alex has grown vines and made wine, his scientific curiosity prompting questions about why things were done in certain ways and, inevitably, to the much- mentioned relationship between wine and vineyard geology.

This has led to numerous publications, in both the popular press and academic journals, and to international lectures.

Alex has advised on the geological content of a number of wine books, including the Oxford Companion to Wine and the forthcoming 8th edition of the World Atlas of Wine.

He is the author of the much acclaimed “Vineyards, Rocks and Soils, a Wine Lover’s Guide to Geology” (Oxford, 2018).

Summary:

With the help of behavioral scientist Tim Hallbom, Tim Gaiser worked to deconstruct his own internal wine-tasting strategies.

Gaiser has since taken this experience and expanded it by conducting his own research with other top tasters in the industry.

Combining his understanding of wine tasting and behavioral strategies, Tim has unlocked the hidden code of expert wine tasting.

Presenter: Tim Gaiser MS

Tim Gaiser is an internationally renowned wine expert and lecturer. He is one of 247 individuals worldwide to ever attain the elite Master Sommelier wine title and is the former Director of Education and Education chair for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas. He is also an adjunct professor for the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley.

Over his 25-plus year career, Tim has taught thousands of students in wines and spirits classes at every level as well as developing wine education programs for restaurants, winery schools and wine distributors. He has experience in all phases of the wine industry - online, wholesale, retail, winery, and restaurant - including stints at Heitz Wine Cellars in the Napa Valley and Bix and Cypress Club restaurants in San Francisco, and Virtual Vineyards/the original wine.com.

Tim has written for a number of publications including Fine Cooking Magazine and Sommelier Journal. He also writes for numerous wine and spirits clients including Champagne Perrier Juet, Wines of Germany and the Portuguese Cork Quality Association.

Prior to developing his wine expertise, Tim received an M.A. in Classical Music. He played classical trumpet as a freelance professional and as an extra with the San Francisco Opera until 1988.

Learn more about wines with the Wine Scholar Guild's study & certification program and sign up for our Wine Study Trips.

Summary: 

During his presentation, Dr Kennedy will explore the wonderful world of red wine tannins.  Crafting well-balanced, perfectly extracted red wine takes time to master.  Beginning in the vineyard and ending in your wine glass, he will explore this fascinating group of molecules and the factors that influence their perception.

Presenter: James Kennedy

James Kennedy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology, and Director for the Viticulture and Enology Research Center at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Kennedy is most widely recognized for his research on improving our understanding of grape and wine tannin chemistry, with the primary goal being the improvement of red wine astringency quality. Dr. Kennedy has published extensively as an author or co-author in peer-reviewed journals, grape and wine industry publications, and proceedings. He has contributed numerous book chapters on grape and wine phenolic chemistry and has co-edited a book on the chemistry of red wine color.

Dr. Kennedy received his Bachelor s degree in Chemistry and his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, both from the University of California, Davis, and has worked in the wine industry (Ridge Vineyards). After receiving his PhD, Dr. Kennedy conducted postdoctoral research on grape and wine phenolic chemistry at the University of Adelaide in South Australia before becoming a faculty member at Oregon State University where he was instrumental in developing the Enology and Viticulture option in their Food Science program. Upon leaving Oregon State University, Dr Kennedy worked at the Australian Wine Research Institute as their Research Manager for Chemistry before becoming Chair and Director at Fresno State. He is a Fulbright Scholarship recipient, conducting research at the University of Bordeaux. In recognition of his research accomplishments, the American Chemical Society-Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry awarded Dr. Kennedy with its Young Scientist Award in 2008. He serves as an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture and is a contributing editor for Practical Winery and Vineyard. Kennedy is a Past-President for the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the California Raisin Marketing Board, and the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association.

Summary: 

Join Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser in a seminar exploring the major wine flaws.  Tim will discuss the causes, effects, and sensory markers for wine flaws including TCA, Brettanomyces, Mercaptan and more.

Presenter: Tim Gaiser MS

Tim Gaiser is an internationally renowned wine expert and lecturer.  He is one of 240 individuals worldwide to ever attain the elite Master Sommelier wine title and is the former Director of Education and Education chair for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas.  He is also an adjunct professor for the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley.

Over his 25-plus year career, Tim has taught thousands of students in wines and spirits classes at every level as well as developing wine education programs for restaurants, winery schools and wine distributors.  He has experience in all phases of the wine industry - online, wholesale, retail, winery, and restaurant - including stints at Heitz Wine Cellars in the Napa Valley and Bix and Cypress Club restaurants in San Francisco, and Virtual Vineyards/the original wine.com.

Tim has written for a number of publications including Fine Cooking Magazine and Sommelier Journal. He also writes for numerous wine and spirits clients including Champagne Perrier Jöuet, Wines of Germany and the Portuguese Cork Quality Association. 

Prior to developing his wine expertise, Tim received an M.A. in Classical Music. He played classical trumpet as a freelance professional and as an extra with the San Francisco Opera until 1988.

Summary: 

From what causes oxidation, reduction and heat damage to H2S and brettanomyces, join this webinar to learn how these faults occur and whether or not they can be treated or dissipate in the final wine.

Presenter: Christy Canterburry MW

Christy Canterbury is a Master of Wine, wine buyer, writer and educator who lives in Manhattan. Christy has bought wine as the National Wine Director for Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and as the Corporate Beverage Director for Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, where she opened and managed restaurants from Istanbul and Doha to Vancouver and Bora Bora. She was also the Wine Acquisitions Director for Italian Wine Merchants, a high-end retail concept catering to wine collectors.

Christy currently divides her time between many activities. She is a judge for the Ultimate Wine Challenge and the Dallas Morning News/TEXSOM Wine Competition; a contributing taster at vitis.com; an educator at Astor Center and San Francisco Wine Center; a panelist for Wine Enthusiast, TASTED and Wine & Spirits magazines; the Wine Editor for the Garrubbo Guide and the Italy Wine Editor for the Professional Wine Reference.

Learn more about wines with the Wine Scholar Guild's study & certification program and sign up for our Wine Study Trips.