Survive February with Wine Tastings, Classes in the Neighborhood

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com. 

February is the month that seems to drag on longer than Sunday’s Super Bowl. But keeping busy with activities and happy hours is one way to make the middle of winter fly by. Two local wine spots are organizing wine education classes to broaden your grape knowledge and keep you warm, from the inside out.

So whether you’re looking to impress at the next cocktail party or just want to know why you like two-buck-chuck so much, Cork & Fork and Cork Market & Tasting Room have the answers.

Cork & Fork

• Throughout the month of February, Cork & Fork (1522 14th Street NW) is offering a series of wine education classes, such as its French Wines Seen by a Parisian class on February 7, a Valentine’s Day Wines class on February 14, a Blind Tasting class on February 21 and a Shiraz versus Zinfandel class on February 28.
• All events are from 7 until 9 pm and include food pairings. Seating is limited and reservations are required. For more information call 202-588-5766.
• Cork & Fork also offers free wine tastings on Fridays from 5 until 7 pm and on Saturdays from 2 until 7 pm.

Cork Market & Tasting Room

• Cork Market & Tasting Room will also offer classes in February to teach participants the fundamentals of wine, such as the differences in types of grapes, styles and regions.
• The next class takes place on Saturday, February 9 at the 14th Street location (1805 14th Street NW). At this class, participants will learn about the different styles regions of wine, as well as how to pair wine with food.
• Each class is approximately 90 minutes and is $50. Below is more information on the details of each class.

Wine Fundamentals: Compare Old and New World
In this class, tasters will: 

• Learn to compare different wine styles by grape, region, wine making process.
• Explore how to use your senses to detect more subtle notes in a wine and be able to describe them.
• Delve into the philosophy behind food and wine pairing. Learn more about grape varietals and their differences.
• Saturday, February 9: 2 until 3:30 pm; Contact [email protected] to sign up!

Wine Fundamentals: Food and Wine Pairing
In this class, tasters will: 

• Discern subtle differences between the wines tasted throughout the series.
• Analyze a wine’s components and how these relate to food.
• Taste wine with food to discover how different flavors work together.
• Put all the knowledge from this series together to confidently pair wine with food and plan a dinner with wine pairings.
• Saturday, February 16: 2 until 3:30 pm; Contact [email protected] to sign up!

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