Design Your Own Tasting at TW

At Tasting World, we'd be happy to offer a new class if there is enough interest on your part. With "Design Your Own Tasting", you get to call the shots on what will be covered in a class. Once you have at least a group of six people that can commit to the same evening, you choose everything from the topic to the level of the class; we discuss it on the phone and design the class together around your interests. Then we open the class to the public.

Please note that "Design Your Own Tasting" is not a private event. However, you get to decide what will be covered, and you receive a price considerably lower than the subsequent public offer.

How to Proceed:

1. Get a group of six friends together
2. Choose a class from the list below.
3. Decide on the level: Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.
4. Call us to set a mutually convenient date.
5. Pay only $45 per person instead of $75, or $50 instead of $85 depending on the class.

Options...

Classes Featuring a Grape Variety:

Pinot Noir: This capricious "girl with the little curl" became famous after the movie Sideways, but there is much more to it than a fabulous wine tour in Santa Barbara. Pinot Noir is a moody grape that yields a different character from each region, but when it is good, it can be one of the best wines in the world. At a beginner level, we'd be covering Pinot's main characteristics, its major growing regions and typical food matches. At more advanced levels, history, terroir differences, producers and vintage information are among the relevant issues.

Riesling: One of world's greatest grape varieties, Riesling can make both the novice and the connoisseur equally happy. It used to be one of the world's favorite wines about a hundred years ago, and now it is gaining popularity once again. Though it never fell out of grace with the aficionados, more casual wine drinkers are also discovering Riesling, which probably explains why it is not so cheap anymore, although still a bargain for the quality. At a beginner level, we'd be covering Riesling's main characteristics along with stylistic differences from various origins such as France, Germany, Austria and Australia. At more advanced levels, terroir differences, producers, best vineyard sites and vintage information are discussed.

Other Possibilities: Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel...

Classes Featuring a Wine Region:

Tuscany: If Piedmont is Italy's Burgundy, Tuscany is its Bordeaux. Some of Italy's worldwide famous wines come from here. Sangiovese is the red grape and is featured in the well-known appellations of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, though their wines are quite different. A beginner level class would cover Tuscan grapes, wine labels and the quality hierarchy with some focus on Sangiovese's characteristis. At an advanced level the wine history, culture and traditions are covered as well as some of the best producers and vintages are discussed.

Rioja: Amazingly, still some of the world's best values as well as best accompaniments to food are found among the wines of Rioja. Though styles differ considerably, once you find the taste profile you like among Riojas, it is now a matter of deciphering the labels correctly to find the same type of wine again. At the beginner level, Rioja's main characteristics, age designations, food and wine pairings and main styles are discussed. Advanced levels move towards a discussion of history, the effects of aging in barrel and the types of wood used in aging Riojas and the winemaking trends in the region.

Other Possibilities: Italy, France, Australia, Piedmont, Rhone Valley, Loire Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy...

Classes Around Specific Themes:

Up-And-Coming Wines: About 5-7 years ago, Barberas, Dolcettos and even some Rhone Valley wines were up-and-coming. Now some of them went too high up and we're asking "What's the next wine?" There are some fabulous wines though not very well-known. We'll open some of our favorites: Aglianicos, Malbecs, Gruner Veltliners among others to show you the diamonds that are hiding out there.

Great Values: How do you find a wine that costs $10 but tastes like $20, or that costs $20 but tastes like $40. How about one that costs $60 but tastes like $150? That's what finding values in wine is all about. We'll not only show you several examples but will also discuss how to go about hedging your bets for the most satisfactory outcome.

Wine Coach: Do you often take clients to business dinners and would like crystal clear guidance on restaurant wine etiquette? We cover all from the beginning: how to choose the most appropriate wine at your price range by using the right terminology with wine staff, pronunciation of the most common wine words, what to do once the wine arrives, how to send a faulty wine back and any other questions that you may have.

Blind Tasting: By far the best way to understand wines, a blind tasting can be arranged in several ways from an entertaining competition to an educating experience. However, by the nature of this tasting, some previous wine experience and basic knowledge among participants is useful.

Expensive vs. Inexpensive: Can you tell the difference between a $10 wine and a $100 one? In this tasting we open the same genre of wines with very different price tags next to each other and discuss the reasons behind these differences. An interesting and fun twist is to do the tasting without telling the tasters which wines are the expensive ones...

Time

Arranged at mutual convenience.

Location

Cost

How to Register

Please call 212-629-8529 or e-mail register@tastingworld.com with your preferences.

* Non-refundable