Germany and Loire Wine Classes at Tria Fermentation School

It’s that time of the month again. The gang at Tria Fermentation School have just announced their May schedule of courses. In addition to plenty of other wine, beer and cheese related seminars, I’ll be in the house on two separate occasions, leading courses on the wines of Germany and the Loire.

White wine haters beware! In the wines of Germany, scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, 2008, we’ll cover the basic keys to building a greater understanding of German wines. Along the way, we might just taste a red but the class will overwhelmingly focus on the great whites of Germany. Selections will include wines from some of the top producers of their respective regions: Jochen Ratzenberger in the Mittelrhein, Werner Schönleber in the Nahe, Klaus-Peter Keller in the Rheinhessen and Andreas Laible in Baden, among others.

The view from Bacharach, near Weingut Ratzenberger, in the Mittelrhein.
Later in the month, on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 to be exact, I’ll be leading a trip down the Loire, one of France’s most diverse wine growing regions. The line-up of wines has yet to be finalized for this session but rest assured that it will include some of the classics, like Sancerre, Chinon and Vouvray, along with some lesser known hidden gems.

The town of Chinon, as seen from the banks of the Vienne River.