Correction – 2 dates in 2010, even better!
This is excellent news: the Changins Wine School (Ecole du vin de Changins), the best place around for learning to understand and appreciate wine, is offering its wine-tasting course in English for the first time.
The school has just mailed out its 2010 course schedule and “Introduction to wine tasting” is there. You’ll have to wait until April 2010 for the first class, but sign up early, as the 20 places for each class go quickly. Changins, the university, is more than 60 years old and the wine school more than 10, so both are well known to the Swiss.
The second session in English is in November 2010.
If you have to watch your budget, this gives you time to start saving the CHF620 fee, which is worth every cent. Or drop a large hint to someone that this would be the perfect Christmas present for you. The school has gift coupons for its courses.
The wine school is part of the larger Changins complex, which includes the federal agricultural research station and the Western Switzerland University of Applied Sciences. This is where Swiss research into grape varieties, oenology, winemaking techniques takes place.
The Swiss reputation for perfection holds true here. Much of the work that has contributed to Switzerland’s rapidly growing reputation for wines that are among the world’s best has been done here. Graduate level research covers soil studies, micro-climates and plant health, but the school works very closely with winemakers from throughout Switzerland, as well, to improve vinification techniques.
The course covers four Thursday evenings in November, each lasting four hours. The classes are taught by a mix of professors from the university and professionals in the field. It’s a great course for people who have never understood what wine tasting is all about, but it’s also very good for people who feel they have gaps in their basic knowledge. Wine-tasting is quite simply much more fun after following the course.
It is more expensive than other introduction to wine-tasting classes, which usually cover less, in one or two sessions. It is more thorough, the wines selected are excellent for teaching purposes (and for the most part, for drinking!) and the work you put into it pays off.
The same course is offered in French several times during the year. Also new in 2010: a course that will suit some schedules better, from 09-17:00 Saturday and Sunday, in one weekend.
Contact: Changins Wine School (Note: Changins says the web pages for the wine school will be in English, probably before the end of 2009.)