Wine Sense does Italy

Okay. I can write about this now. I’m enrolled. Call me selfish. Call me arrogant. I will agree. It’s all about me.

But once you attend one of Fritz Reese’s wine classes, you will do the same!

Beginning Thursday evening, May 24, Fritz will be instructing “Wine Sense does Italy” at the West Sahara CCSN Satellite campus. I’ve attended several of Fritz’s Wine Sense courses (all at the same place) and have just accepted the fact that I’m addicted to them. The Community College website is: http://www.ccsn.edu/workforce/community/courselist/culinary.asp . They have an error in that they describe the class as “Wine Sense” which is Fritz’s basic beginner class.

Other than Chianti Classico Riserva, I’m not a big fan of Italian wines. But, like just about everything else, I know that comes from ignorance about Italian wines. I love wines from California, Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, Washington, South Africa, Argentina, and Chile. I love some French wines, and know that I would love even more of them if they weren’t priced at extortion levels. I enjoy the wines from Germany and Austria, too, even though they specialize primarily in cold-weather whites. And despite Fritz's very careful explanations, I still view their labels as indecipherable.

I will mention that a new (to me) grape from Sicily has caught my attention: Nero d’Avola. It’s a rich red and somewhat reminiscent of a Shiraz, but with berry tones and a touch of the Mediterranean. Open a bottle and you will discover that it REQUIRES air before it begins to evolve in the glass. And it’s great with Italian food! Imagine that!

Fritz has a passion for wines that shows in each class session, and he makes every one enjoyable. Which is why he doesn’t have *students* in class; he has *fans*! What makes it even more fun is that the students have gotten to know each other and often bring food to the class that pairs (we hope) with the wines that Fritz will pour. And since he uses a measured pourer, each glass is exactly enough to enjoy the taste (not too skimpy) but not make it a party. Well, not *quite* a party.

So, dear locals, I hope that you will be able to make it to one of Fritz’s courses in the future.

Okay, now for a few shout-outs:

Congrats to Michael (never Mike) Breyer on moving into his (brand) new home in Anthem Solera!

Look for Zach Benson (okay, so he’s my kid) on commercials/ads/newspaper inserts beginning next month. He went to a casting call for the heck of it and got chosen as an athletic model.

A pat on the back for me for *finally* making the Kosta Browne allocation list and getting my full allocation! Take THAT, Williams Selyem!! It’s an ugly story, but I’ll gleefully share it with anyone who wants to know.

Are you part of a wine club somewhere? I belong to five, all directly from wineries. I don’t do the “wine of the month” thing. I did it once for about four months and nearly every wine was dreck. Never again!

If you belong to a wine club (of any kind) please share with us which ones they are and the good and bad with each one. I will write about wine clubs next time! No, I lied. I will be talking about a day at UNLVino!

Meanwhile, if you have something worthy of a shout-out, just let me know!