Wine Classes at the Chopping Block, August 2010
Wine Service Primer $45
Mon 8/2 MM
Do you have visions of yourself as a swanky Sommelier, but don’t know proper table service? Looking to land a job as a fine dining server? Does opening a bottle of wine with a waiter’s corkscrew put the fear of God in you? All will be revealed in this “hands on” primer on wine service, etiquette, and yes, popping dreaded Champagne corks with style.
The Italian Grapes You Should Know $45
Fri 8/6 LS
We at The Chopping Block are mad for Italian wines, but grapes such as falanghina, cortese, garganega and aglianico are hardly household names. This class will focus on the Italian red and white grapes currently enjoying international acclaim, and the regions where they grow best.
The Great Wines of Germany and Austria $55
Mon 8/9 LS
Get hold of any three, or God forbid, four star restaurant’s wine list and its likely to look like a Teutonic invasion. What Sommeliers across the land know is these whites and light reds are some of food-friendliest and stunning wines on the planet. We’ll taste through the best and brightest grapes and regions, in addition to talking food pairing tips.
Wine 101 $45
Fri 8/13 MM
This one is all about wine basics and we take it nice and slow, tasting and talking our way through seven different wine grapes and styles. Bring any and all wine questions you’ve been dying to ask but never had the forum—all will be revealed!
Food and Wine Dynamics $45
Mon 8/16 MM
Wine is best enjoyed (and understood) at the table. Join our resident wine goddess, Diana Hamann, in her very favorite wine class. We’ll taste several wines with several bites representing salty, sour, bitter and sweet, and we guarantee: light bulbs will go off, the clouds will part, and you’ll leave with a solid food and wine pairing foundation.
Old School Bartending, with Jason Burrell of The Long Room $50
Fri 8/20 LS - On the Patio
Join famed Chicago bartender, owner of The Long Room, all around cool cat Jason Burrell as he stirs up the classic cocktails you need to have in your hip pocket. This one will be held al fresco on our Lincoln Square patio lounge, not only will everyone get to sample Jason’s concoctions right out of the shaker, everyone will go home with recipes on how to recreate the magic at your next cocktail party.
Wine Tasting "On the Grid" $45
Mon 8/23 MM
Ever wonder how Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine honed their celebrated palates? By systematic, focused deductive tasting using a wine tasting grid. We’ll use the same tasting grid as the pros and work our way through several wines, “hitting our boxes” by assessing color, acidity, viscosity, oak, alcohol, and tannin. Palates are not born, they’re made—practice makes perfect!
The Wine and Cheese of France $60
Fri 8/27 LS
Ah, ze Fronch…say what you will about their cry-baby football team, the country as a whole gave us two of the worlds most hedonistic pleasures as we know them: wine and cheese. We’ll taste through a stellar line up of the famed wines of France, and their regional cheese match made in heaven. Ah, ze Fronch…say what you will about their cry-baby football team, the country as a whole gave us two of the worlds most hedonistic pleasures as we know them: wine and cheese. We’ll taste through a stellar line up of the famed wines of France, and their regional cheese match made in heaven.
Conquering the Restaurant Wine List $45
Mon 8/30 LS
If you’ve ever started to tremble and shake when handed a restaurant wine list, this one’s for you. We’ll learn how to navigate these often-confusing tomes with ease, in addition to tricks of the trade to get the very best wine service out of any dining experience.
|
