We had a wonderful time at the 41st Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, held August 10-12, 2016 at the lovely Red Lion Hotel on the River, located on the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon. Below you will find some pictures, presentations, and handouts provided by our wonderful speakers – the next best thing to being there!
Paul Poux, CSW
Sicily: Past, Present, and Future—presented by Paul Poux, CSW: Paul’s Saturday morning session began with the history of Sicily, from the Romans through the Byzantines and the Bourbons and all the way up to the Kingdom of Italy. Wine production, of course, was a part of all of this history, and this has resulted in Sicily as a leader in Italian wine production—the fourth-largest producer of wine in all of Italy’s twenty regions.
After this introduction, the wine tasting portion of the session began, starting with a selection of delightful white wines made from mostly local white grapes, including Catarratto, Grillo, Zibibbo, and Carricante. Geographical indications included the Sicily (Sicilia) DOC and Contea di Sclafani DOC as well as several IGTs. The next wines, mostly reds, included those made from the following interesting grapes: Frappato, Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Perricone. The red tasting included wines from the Sicily (Sicilia), Noto, and Etna Rosso DOCs.
For more details on the presentation and the wines, see Paul’s presentation here: Sicily-Past Present and Future-presented by Paul Poux
Michael Schafer, CSW
Amazing Alsace—presented by Michael Schafer, CSW: Bright and early Friday morning, Michael Schafer, CSW presented a session on the Amazing wines of Alsace. The session began with the story of the history of the Alsace area, from the “golden age” of 1600s, through the tumultuous times surrounding the World Wars, to liberation and the present day. The story of the wines of Alsace—the vineyards, the wine route, the terroir, and the AOCs—followed. Next, the specific styles of wine produced in Alsace—from Alsace AOC, Crémant d’Alsace, Vendage Tardive, and Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) to Alsace Grand Cru. For more information, as well as a listing of the spectacular wines, see Michael’s presentation: Amazing Alsace-presented by Michael Schafer, CSW
Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE
Exploring the Backroads of the Côte d’Or (part 2)—presented by Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE: Back by popular demand, Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE brought us another installment of his journey along the “backroads” of the wine and regions of the Côte d’Or. Don led the class on a tour that began in the village of Monthélie, located somewhat between Meursault and Volnay. The next stops included Auxey-Duresses (often described as a “junior Meursault”), Saint-Aubin (bordering both Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet), and Santenay (one of the Côte d’Or’s southernmost wine villages).
For more details, including information on the wines and producers featured in this session, see Don’s presentation: The Backroads of la Cote d’Or – presented by Don Kinnan
We will be posting many more conference recaps in the days to come, and will create a permanent record of them here.