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Private Notes
Meet your new instructor: Internationally-renowned wine critic James Suckling. In your first lesson, James brings you into Tuscany's Il Borro Cellars to tell you what you'll learn, why he's teaching, and how wine appreciation can enhance your life.
James believes that blind tasting can tell you a lot about a wine. Learn how to refine your palate and utilize the 100-point scale to evaluate the quality of a wine.
In order to appreciate wine, you must first be able to truly taste it. Understand the common characteristics of different varietals by discussing flavor, aroma, acidity, structure, texture, and balance.
Every bottle has a story. Meet the maker behind the historic Marchesi Antinori, and learn about the winemaking family's role in creating the legendary Super Tuscan Tignanello.
Soil and climate play an essential role in the winemaking process. James teaches you how to look for subtleties between vintages with a vertical tasting of Tignanello.
Tasting from a barrel can be dramatically different than from a bottle. Learn what to look for in the barrel, and how to determine a wine’s potential direction.
All great wines begin in the vineyard. Learn the principles of viticulture as James teaches you the factors that influence a great wine, and the importance of soil, climate, varietals, and regions.
James shares professional tips on how to design and organize a home cellar, properly store and age important bottles, and collect with confidence.
Along with legendary winemaker Lamberto Frescobaldi, James demystifies the process of reading a wine list. Gain the knowledge and etiquette to properly order in a restaurant setting, as well as share from your own collection.
For James, breaking the rules when experimenting with wine pairing is essential to the dining experience. Learn how to pair unconventional foods and wines to bring out new and highly creative flavor combinations.
James ends his class with a reminder of the key elements of wine appreciation: Be curious, be passionate, share with family and friends, and above all—don’t drink bad wine!
