A Look Back at Wineucation

On Thursday, December 20th, with the help of my team, I hosted the twelfth and final Wineucation class for 2018. Wineucation is a wine tasting, education and research class that I first started in 2016 to gather data for my master's thesis. Over the past 2 years, it has evolved, grown and become a really fun, food and wine fellowship group. The Wineucation group is extremely important because it has helped me prepare and study to become a certified sommelier. There are very few African American women Master Sommeliers. I intend to continue to study wine and I strive to become among the elite in the wine industry.

Wineucation sessions were held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at our office at e2e. The experience was like traveling the globe through our glass. For our classes, I would prepare a PowerPoint presentation that discussed the wine region's: climate, soil, major grape varietals grown and interesting producers and wineries. We served 5 to 7 wines with 3 to 6 food pairings. Over the course of the year, Wineucation attendees tasted 78 wines and 42 food pairings. We averaged between 12 to 36 attendees each session. We consistently received positive feedback on the food and wines we served.

Here's a look back on the year:

January – France

We enjoyed the following wines:

1. Bordeaux - Château Vieux Manoir

2. Rhone Valley - Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone

3. Sancerre - Domaine des Cotes Blanches

4. Alsace - Willm

5. Pouilly Fuisse - Domaine J.A. Ferret

February – France

We presented:

1. Vouvray

2. Pinot Gris/Alsace

3. Rose’/Rhone

4. Gamay/Burgundy

5. Merlot/Bordeaux

6. Red Blend/Napa

March – Italy

We sipped on:

1. Barbera

2. Cabernet Sauvignon

3. Verdicchio

4. Pinot Grigio

5. Soave Classico

6. Cabernet Sauvignon

April – Greece and Austria

We featured the following wines:

1. Felix Gruner Veltliner

2. Cavino Retsina

3. Glatzer Zweigelt Riedencuvee

4. Harlaftis Agiorgitiko Nemea

5. Harlaftis Petaloudes Rose

6. Jenny Dawn Cellars Rose

May – Dessert and Sweet wines

We served:

1. Riesling

2. Moscato D’Asti

3. Piemonte Brachetto

4. Porto Noval Black N.V.

5. Lustau East India Sherry N.V.

June – Champagne and Sparkling

These sparklers were a real hit:

1. Crement De Loire - Brut 2.Gloria Ferrer - Blanc De Blancs 3.Chandon - Blanc De Noirs 4. Luc Belaire - Rose' 5. Veuve Clicquot - Brut 6. Perrier Jouet - Grand Brut

July – Germany

We poured:

1. Villa Wolf - Pinot Gris 2. Saint M - Riesling 3. Blufeld - Riesling 4. Nik Weis Selection - Riesling 5. Shine - Gewurztraminer 6. Qualitatswein - Pinot Noir

August – Spain and Portugal

We sipped on:

1. Aveleda Alvarinho 2017

2. Bodegas Ateca Honoro Vera Garnacha 2016

3. Bodegas Fillaboa Albarino Rias Baixas 2015

4. Joao Portugal Ramos Loureiro Vinho Verde 2017

5. Marques de Caceres Verdejo 2016

6. Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2012

September – North American

These wines were a real treat:

1. Iced wine from Canada

2. Vignoles from Kansas

3. Viognier from Napa Valley

4. Chardonnay from Finger Lakes

5. Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley

6. Zinfandel from Paso Robles

7. Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley

October – Australia

Our wine listed included:

1. Riesling - Yalumba Y Series 2015

2. Chardonnay - Penfolds Koonunga Hill 2016

3. Sauvignon Blanc - Yellow Tail

4. Shiraz - Yellow Tail

5. Semillon - Brokenwood Hunter Valley 2015

6. Cabernet Sauvignon - Yellow Tail

November – Chile and Argentina

We poured these delicious wines:

1. Chardonnay - Haras De Pirque 2016

2. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot - Estampa 2015

3. Red Blend - Loma Larga 2015

4. Red Blend - Colonia Las Liebres 2017

5. Malbec - Clos d' Argentine

6. Malbec - Loscano 2014

December – South Africa and New Zealand

We served the following wines:

1. Terre Brulee - Chenin Blanc - South Africa 2. Geisen - Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand 3. Koha - Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand 4. Oyster Bay - Pinot Noir - New Zealand 5. Riebeek Cellars - Cabernet Sauvignon - South Africa 6. Jam Jar - Sweet Shiraz - South Africa

We are excited to host our next Wineucation session in April 2019 at our Jenny Dawn Cellars winery at Union Station. See you there!