We love our wine here at SheBrisbane. Not too much mind you, but there’s no better way for our team to unwind after a particularly arduous day and plan ahead than over a glass or two.
So it was a no brainer when we were invited to a wine appreciation course at the Wine Emporium, Newstead.
The course, over two nights (White then Red), is one of a number of wine courses run by the world-class retail store of fine wine which was established in 2005 with the goal of assembling “the best range, the best staff and the best shopping experience in Australia”.
Our wine appreciation course was with Wine Emporium’s sommelier Brent Williamson who was awarded the prestigious 2014 Negociants Australia Working with Wine Fellowship.
He sure knows his wine, and after our two classes, a little of that knowledge certainly rubbed off.
We were a mixed bunch of both sexes of all ages. Couples, young and older, singles, also young and older, a mother and daughter and a father and daughter.
All were armed with plenty of questions and a clear desire to get more out of their love of wine.
We kicked off with a comparison of three Rieslings led by a 2016 “Clos Clare” Clare Valley Riesling which was a delight to taste and retails at $32 a bottle at the Wine Emporium.
This was compared with a 2005 Kanta Adelaide Hills Riesling which Brent explained puts on “weight and complexity” as it ages. It was also great and retails at $49 a bottle.
For those who like their Riesling a little sweeter there was a 2015 Max Ferdinand Richter Riesling Kabinett, from Germany’s Mosel country.
And on and on we went on our rewarding discovery tour comparing three Semillon, Sauvignon, Oak and Blending bottles followed by Pinot Grigio versus Pinot Gris, followed by The Diversity of Chardonnay.
So much to remember, which we added to a week later at the Red wine class.
The Wine Emporium has put together a range of classes to suit all tastes and levels of knowledge.
From the wine appreciation class ($120 a head), which is aimed at “providing the building blocks of wine knowledge” wine lovers can move onto more specialised classes focusing on regions and styles from around the world.
These include Burgundy Masterclass with Brent Williamson and Australia versus France.
The Burgundy course naturally focuses on France’s famed wine region of Burgundy, revered for producing the world’s finest examples of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Costing $420 a head, the course investigates the differences between Burgundy’s villages, vineyards and producers by tasting through 24 different bottles of its finest produce, including a great selection of premier and grand cru wines.
Australia v France Masterclass, over one night and costing $165 a head, looks at the fascinating rivalry between France and Australia which specialise in the same varieties
While some still consider French wines to be the pinnacle of the world’s wine production, Australia too is making outstanding and world-class wine.
“Stylistically both countries make quite different wines, so using some of the finest bottlings from both countries we have put together this one night course to understand the differences between the key grape varieties riesling, sauvignon/semillon, chardonnay, pinot noir, grenache, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon,” says Wine Emporium.
Check out the full range of classes available online here!
SheSociety is a site for the women of Australia to share our stories, our experiences, shared learnings and opportunities to connect.
Leave a Reply