Many wine enthusiasts can pinpoint the moment, the glass, the bottle that changed their impression of wine. That singular taste awakened not only an inexperienced palate, but also initiated a fascination with the finer points and pours of viticulture and vinification. It's treacherous territory, turning sensible men and women into wonton spenders and curious obsessives. Carefully cultivated, though, the world of wine is a rewarding place to find your footing.
For years, my wine selections were predicated on matters of affordability, accessibility and alcohol. Then the Rhône happened. Years ago, during a visit home from college, my altruistic father shared a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with me. Later holiday visits proved my father's oenological altruism knew no bounds, as I was introduced to the Italian swagger of Amarone and the understated finesse of Burgundy. It encouraged me to drink - for educational purposes, of course. By the time I graduated college, I was deeply interested in wine, and deeply broke.
After a few years of largely self-guided wine "tours", gathering relevant literature, guidance from shop owners and advice from wine bar folks, I yearned for a more formal education. As with anything worth knowing, the more I learned about wine, the more I realized how little I knew. Enter the American Wine School (then, Cleveland Wine School) in Beachwood, where Marianne Frantz teaches casual and professional wine education courses. I enrolled in the professional course program created by the London-based Wine And Spirit Education Trust, completing the Intermediate Certificate course then the Advanced Certificate course. I passed both end-of-term exams, I'm proud to write. Credit goes to my teacher.
You may recognize Frantz as the host of At Cellar Door, OhioAuthority's wine video series, but she's also the one who has opened the world of wine to me and many others in her classes. The courses would be of interest for wine experts (trust me, you're not) and novices alike, as wine study under Frantz' directions takes colorful trips around the globe, with lessons on geography, history, food and - gasp - science that are fascinating. Her vivid descriptions, personal anecdotes and lively presentations bring the course texts to life, and the myriad wine tastings test your palate and provide for often humorous class interactions. If you like meeting new people, drinking and tasting wine, and learning more about the world you live, enroll in the WSET courses at Cellar Door. Cheers to personal growth and great wine in 2010.
