Montauk Club Wine Class off to Smashing Start!

Well, actually no people or glasses got smashed, but, as they say, a good time was had by all. We held the first in the monthly series of wine classes at the Club on Thursday, January 18. The class follows the tasting course laid out in Andrea Immer Robinson's revised and updated edition of Great Wines Made Simple. At Thursday's class, we reviewed how to taste wine and then proceeded to taste the three white wines that make up what Andrea calls the Big Six. We tasted a Columbia Crest Riesling from Washington State, a Brancott Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and a Jacob's Creek Chardonnay from Australia. What a fun way to experience the basic differences among these grapes!

Next month, we'll finish off the Big Six by tasting three or four reds. "Four" you ask? Doesn't that make seven when added to the three whites? Well, Andrea puts merlots and cabernet sauvignons in the same category -- medium-bodied red wines -- and so counts them as one. Who's complaining, anyway? So we'll be tasting a pinot noir, a merlot and/or a cabernet sauvignon and a syrah (the french name), aka shiraz (the Aussie name). To prepare for next month's class, please be sure to read the Introduction and Chapter One of the book. We have a copy on loan at the Club Bar if you haven't been able to pick up a copy. Pay particular attention to pages 23 and 24 where Andrea includes her tasting notes on the reds. If you're itching to learn about more taste descriptions, go ahead and read Chapter Two.

And one more thing -- although the third Thursday of February is the 15th, that date doesn't work well for those who attended January’s class. So we decided that February's class will take place on Thursday, February 22. After that, we'll return to the third Thursday schedule.

It's not too late to join in, by any means. And what's great is that you can stay for dinner and try your hand at pairing wines from our list with choices from the Grill Menu. Classes are $10 per person per class – a real bargain considering the amount of wine you may try.

Hope to see you on February 22!

Suzy Marquard