Wine Classes at Savvy Cellar

Did you know that there are wine classes being offered at Savvy Cellar? I went to one called “Wine Tasting for the Wine Challenged” a few weeks ago and had a great time. There were about 25 people at the class and we all learned the first basic steps to determining whether or not we liked a wine. Turns out I had been doing it wrong all these years…

The main thing that I learned was that I needed to slow down and enjoy the process of drinking wine. I think I had been gulping it down too quickly and missing out on all that the wine had to offer. I’ll be drinking it much more slowly in the future. I’ll also be looking at it more carefully. Is it bright, clear, and does it have legs? I’ll also be focusing on the “nose” of the wine. That was my favorite part of the class. The instructor was Jennifer (she’s actually one of the owners) and she would ask all of us what we smelled. At first I was a bit alarmed because my class mates would say they smelled things like limes or cherries and I was smelling things like asparagus or old rotten logs.

Then I realized that no one really has the right or wrong answer. After Jennifer carefully guided us through what we might be smelling and encouraged us to swirl the wine a few more times and sniff again, I was amazed. The fragrance changes and it actually tells you what the wine will taste like. You begin to get an expectation about what the wine will taste like once you are given permission to finally taste it! It works. If you go really slow and look at it long enough and put your nose way down inside the glass and take a few big whiffs over and over, you’ll know exactly what it will taste like.

I don’t feel so “wine challenged” anymore. I went to the class by myself and met some nice people who live near the train station. It occurred to me that these wine classes would be a great way to meet people who have similar interests and wine classes would also be a nice gift. I like to try to find unusual presents for birthdays or holidays and I know that some of my friends would love a gift certificate to wine classes at Savvy Cellar.

Here’s a link to the calendar of classes at Savvy Cellar. The next class is called “All About Bubbles: Champagne Appreciation.” It is Monday, July 19th from 7 to 9 pm. You can register online at the Savvy Cellar website.

 Wine classes at Savvy Cellar are just another reason to love Mountain View.