The French Wine Academy with Ben Christiansen – Session One

A series of wine seminars taught in five parts, in Milwaukee, dates listed below. This ticket is for session one on February 12.

“It would be as impossible to think of France without wine as it is to think of wine without France.”
– Hugh Johnson

Take a simple stroll through any wine store or supermarket and simply look at the grape names on the bottles: Chardonnay, Cabernet, Syrah, Pinot Noir – they’re all French. And not only are these grape varieties French, but France continues to produce some (or all?) of the greatest examples of them. France not only has the greatest wines, but also the longest history of studying them, codifying them, and shaping them into categories based on geography. Indeed, France is the model structure that nearly all winemaking states and wine laws emulate. There is great variety to be tasted!

This course is designed as a series of tastings and lectures taking you through France and French wine. Each lecture is based upon a region (or group of regions) in France that will allow us to explore the aromas, flavors and textures of French wine, all while learning about the history and culture of each region. In each lecture we will taste nine wines, compare and contrast them, and explore the reasons they taste different from one another.

Designed to develop the attendee’s knowledge of French wine (and all wine as a whole), these lectures can be enjoyed as a set or individually. No knowledge of French wine is necessary to start, and every tasting will present something new and exciting to all, no matter what your present level of wine appreciation.

The $150 course fee includes five classes. Each class includes a lecture and the tasting of nine different wines (with substantial discounts offered on all wines being presented the night of the tasting). Single sessions are $40. To inquire about availability, contact Scott Miner at scott.miner@waterfordwine.com or call 414-231-9393.

Ben Christiansen is one of the Midwest’s most engaging wine educators. We  guarantee that participants will walk away with rich knowledge and a joyful appreciation of wines and winemaking.

Sign up for all sessions and use the discount code GRADUATE for a $50 discount (tickets non-refundable).

Tasting / Lecture 1: Champagne and Alsace, February 12

Tasting / Lecture 2: Burgundy and Beaujolais, February 26

Tasting / Lecture 3: The Rhone Valley extending into Languedoc-Roussillon, March 11

Tasting / Lecture 4: Bordeaux, March 25

Tasting / Lecture 5: Loire Valley, April 8

Wines to be tasted session one:

Morin “Tentation” Cramant $25

Roeder Champagne Brut Premier $55

Pierre Peters Champagne Grand Cru Les Mesnil Brut $65

2016 Albert Boxler Edelzwicker $35

2016 Trimbach Riesling $25

2017 Domaine Ostertag Riesling Grand Cru Muenchberg $75

2018 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Blanc $30

2015 Emile Beyer Pinot Noir $25

2015 Boxler Gewurztraminer Reserve $55