The Wines of Italy Course - One Day Course
The Wines of Italy Course - One Day Course
Time: 11am-5pm (includes lunch)Venue: Kensington Arms, Bristol / The Bird Hotel, BathWine Tasting Bristol & Bath
One Day Course: The Wines of Italy
For thousands of years, Italians have been producing wine - an essential part of Italian culture and daily life. But with a myriad of diverse indigenous grapes and wine styles (sometimes in the same town) and a strong culinary history linking regional cuisine to wines Italy can easily become be a very confusing and daunting place.
Whether you enjoy a glass of wine after work, hosting dinner parties or visiting Italian restaurants this is a superb opportunity to expand your knowledge and appreciation of Italian wines over an inspirational and educational interactive day in a small group,.
We'll help you explore and familiarise with this picturesque and romantic country from north to south, by tasting a hand-picked selection of classic and modern Italian wines. Through a hands-on and informative itinerary, we'll focus on key regions individually and look at features that set its wines apart from other regions of Italy and the world.
Vino Italiano comes into its own when matched with food, as is the tradition in Italy, so we'll take a look at food and wine pairing suggestions as we go, highlighting wines to go with everything from seafood to pizza and sampling some great Italian produce throughout the course.
Course Itinerary
11 am - Welcome and Introduction to Italy
11.10am - Italian Sparkling Wines & The White Wines of Italy - Part 1
12.20pm - Break
12.30pm - The White Wines of Italy - Part 2
1.30pm - LUNCH
2.30pm - The Red Wines of Italy - Part 1
3.30pm Break
3.45pm The Red Wines of Italy - Part 2 / The Sweet Wines of Italy
4.45pm - Summary and Q&A’s
5pm - Finish
Examples of Regions We'll Look at Include:
Northeast Italy: The regions of the Veneto, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, and Trentino-Alto Adige are home to some of the most famous white wines in the world such as Pinot Grigio and Soave, as well the super popular Prosecco and a host of decadently rich reds.
Piedmont: A land of castles, vineyards and picturesque misty rolling hills famous for its fine wines from the time of the Romans to the present day. Piedmont in the north-west corner of Italy is home to more DOCG wines than any other region in Italy including such prestigious names as Barolo, Barbaresco, Gavi and Barbera d'Asti.
Tuscany: One of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations, and home of Chianti and other great sangiovese wines recognized for their high quality and their ability to pair easily with food.
Puglia: A hot Mediterranean climate, perennial sunshine and sea breezes combine to make Puglia an ideal climate for viticulture. Home to the now world-famous primitivo grape and a host of ripe, concentrated and inky red wines this is a region to rival the popular wines of Chile, Argentina and Australia and well worth discovering!
Sicily: Some of Italy's most intriguing wines come from the volcanic soil in Sicily (from nearby Mount Etna). Sicily’s most prominent red grape variety is Nero d’Avola, but it's by no means the only one...
COURSE VENUE
The Bird Hotel, Bath
This course is held at The Bird, a dazzling boutique hotel with a totally fabulous atmosphere in the centre of Bath. Colourful, with bold designs and statement artwork, and sister hotel to Homewood.
Course Tutor
Wine tutor Tristan Darby has certified wine knowledge and 20 years experience in both the catering and wine trade. He is the founder of Bristol Wine School and also runs wine courses at IWC regional wine merchant of the year Great Western Wine in Bath.
Tristan is the drinks columnist for The Bristol Magazine and The Bath Magazine, he trains wine and catering professionals, consults for bars restaurants and private clients, works with cookery schools, has presented at food festivals and hosted wine dinners and events with some of the region's top chefs. He is also a judge for both Bristol Good Food awards and Bath Good Food Awards.
Tristan is passionate that world of wine shouldn't be a pretentious, elitist place and has earned a great reputation for imparting his knowledge in an enthusiastic, un-stuffy, non-patronising and approachable way. He'll answer questions as you go, and hopes to give you the confidence and tools to break habits, expand horizons and explore new and interesting wines.
