Understanding Wine

Understanding Wine – Long course
A course for the enthusiast who wants to discover more about wine Book Now
5 weeks, 2 hours per session
This is a course for people who enjoy drinking wine and aspire to learn more about what they’re tasting, smelling and experiencing. Over the course of 5 weeks, you’ll explore a range of wine styles, varieties, blends, and regions as our educators guide you through how to swirl, sniff and taste like a professional.
By course end, you’ll understand more about aroma and taste and you’ll know how to express it. You will gain confidence as a wine consumer and have fun with like-minded people in a relaxed and informal setting at the National Wine Centre. This course is ideal for those starting out in the hospitality or wine industry.
Week 1 – Introduction to tasting. Recognising wine faults. An introduction to wine styles and their differences. Food & wine matching principles
Week 2 – White wines, 8-10 wines tasted
Week 3 – Sparkling wines, 6-8 wines tasted
Week 4 – Red wines, 8-10 wines tasted
Week 5 – Fortified wines and wine options quiz
Objectives
- Understand the principles of sensory evaluation and apply them to a diverse range of wine styles
- Understand wine flavours and characters
- Understand the fundamentals of viticulture & winemaking
- Appreciate the variances and influences of different wine varieties
- Introduce you to Australian wine regions and styles
- Understand the principles of food & wine matching
- Understand Wine Faults
Outcomes
- The attendee will understand the 5 senses used to to evaluate wine – Sight , Smell, Taste,Touch, Hearing
- Competently discuss sensory characteristics of various wine varieties using a common set of terms
- Understand the changes that may occur in wines during production and the ageing process
- Understand the process of making wine. Harvesting, crushing, fermentation, maturation plus the physiology of grapes and vines
- Understand and identify the impact of climate and regionality on wine styles
- Form an understanding of varietal styles and begin to develop an understanding of the regional characteristics of Australian wine styles.
- Develop skills and confidence to food & wine match,
- Be confident to navigate restaurant wine lists and be confident in cellar doors
- Be able to identify wine faults
- Oxidation –
- Volatile Acidity (VA) –
- TCA – “cork taint
- ‘Bret’– spoilage yeast brettanomyces)