WINE EDUCATION SEMINARS
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
SEMINAR
12:00 PM
12:00 PM
THE ABC'S OF TASTING WINE
This is an excellent course for beginners. Participants will learn wine tasting basics. We will focus on sampling and understanding the differences between popular white and red wines. We will also provide an overview of how to select wines to compliment foods. During this seminar, participants will learn taste and wine evaluation methods. Seminar Leader - Tom Finigan, CSW, is the former Sommelier and Manager of Blue Ginger Restaurant, owned by James Beard winning Chef and TV host, Ming Tsai. A Certified Specialist of Wine with the Society of Wine Educators, Tom teaches the WSET Intermediate Certificate courses for the Washington Wine Academy. FREE
1:00 PM
1:00 PM
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE - BONUS SEMINAR FRIDAY NIGHT AT 7:00PM
Come spend some time with chocolate maker Mary Schellhammer of Spice Rack Chocolates to explore all about chocolate. During this seminar, she will answer questions like where does chocolate come from? Why do we love chocolate so much? What are the differences between chocolates? You will also learn Mary's "3 Rules for Pairing Wine with Chocolate". Then everyone will apply their newly learned skills to pair three different wines with some of Mary's chocolate creations. This is sure to be an exciting and popular hour so arrive early to get a good seat and bring your wine glass! FREE
2:00 PM
2:00 PM
TARARA WINERY CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH A VERTICAL LIBRARY TASTING
Tarara Winery, one of the early pioneers in Virginia Wine Country, celebrates the 20th anniversary of it's first vintage with a Vertical Library Tasting. Get in on this rare educational opportunity to taste Tarara's portfolio of wines through the years. Jordan Harris, Tarara's winemaker, will lead an informative session on how the fruit of one vineyard differs from year to year and discuss the difference of aged wines versus young wines in Tarara's Vertical Tasting. FREE
3:00 PM
SOUTHWEST FRENCH VARIETIES IN VIRGINIA - HORTON VINEYARDS' PETIT MANSENG AND TANNAT
Horton Vineyards presents an informative and delicious introduction to two noble but lesser-known grape varieties - the rich white wine Petit Manseng and the intense red Tannat. Originating in the rugged Basque country in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, plantings of these varieties later spread to Southwest France. In the 1990s Dennis Horton began planting these unique grapes in Orange County, Virginia, and they now are featured in two award-winning varietal wines - the Horton Vineyards' Petit Manseng (Best of White, 2007 Governor's Cup) and the Horton Vineyards' Tannat (Best of Red, 2006 Governor's Cup). This seminar will discuss climate and geographical considerations, vineyard performance, harvest characteristics, and winemaking styles and techniques. Of course, you'll also taste these intriguing wines - after all, the proof is in the bottle! FREE
3:00 PM
3:30 PM
WINE GUIDELINE DEBUTS NEW WINE EVALUATION SYSTEM
BONUS SEMINAR FRIDAY NIGHT AT 8:30PM
Noses , bouquets , mouth feel - oh my! Does all of this wine talk confuse you? Join Erik Rye, Editor of Wine Guideline, for a down to earth discussion about the three basics of wine and an overview of his new user-friendly Wine Evaluation Guide. FREE
4:00 PM
3:30 PM
VIRGINIA VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD
Join in the fun of a comparative tasting as we put the award-winning wines of Virginia up against those from the best wine regions in the world. You'll get to taste Virginia and international wines in this fun interactive seminar. Stop by the Washington Wine Academy booth to see what wines will be poured in the session. FREE
WWA BOOTH
WWA BOOTH
PRIVATE WINE TUTORING – A CORK CLUB EXCLUSIVE
Here’s your chance to get some private wine advice directly from some of the premier wine experts and columnists in the Washington area. You can sign up for 15 minutes with faculty of the Washington Wine Academy. This is free and exclusive to members of the Washington Wine AcademyCORK Club. Send an e-mail with the time and speaker request, along with a summary of the topics you which to discuss.
ON THE SHOW FLOOR
ALL DAY
ON THE
SHOW
FLOOR
ALL DAY
JUDGING OF THE VIRGINIA WINE SHOWCASE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
Enter to Win one of our coveted door prizes by participating as a judge in the Virginia Wine Showcase People's Choice Awards. Experience the differences in winemaker styles as you judge the wines featured in the Virginia Wine Showcase. This exercise will result in five Virginia wines receiving the presitigous Virginia Wine Showcase People's Choice Award for "Best in Show" as judged by real people - the guests of the Virginia Wine Showcase.
Prizes for judging include: Restaurant Gift Certs, Weekend Getaways, Jewelry, Wine Accessories, a 42" LCD TV and more!