Attended another great wine tasting with KCuvée recently, this one a tour of France – and it didn’t require a 10-day quarantine period.
KCuvée’s owners, Katie Bean and Carolina Marin, walked us through the various French winemaking regions, explaining differences and distinctions of each. And as they do with each of their tastings, they included high-quality samples from each region.
We were greeted with a sparkling crémant from Burgundy’s Maison de Grand Esprit l’Etre Magique and our first wine in class was a 2017 Sancerre from La Colline aux Princes, crisp and aromatic. Marin explained to the class that French winemakers tend to fashion their wines after the foods the regions are known for, so this one would be terrific for one of the Loire Valley’s goat cheeses.
We also had Bouchard Aîné & Fils, Beaujolais-Villages (2018) and Vincent et Sophie Morey, Santenay Les Hâtes (2018).
My favorite was the Famille Perrin Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards Rouge (2016), a mostly grenache wine from the Rhone Valley, with a beautiful ruby color and bits of chocolate on the nose and a smooth mouth-feel of strawberries and plums.
One of the neat things that KCuvée does at its tastings is provide little containers that have bits of the aromas or tastes you might experience in the wines so you can compare and develop your senses. Food isn’t served until after the tastings is completed so as not to confuse your nose or palate.
We finished with Haut-Médoc’s Chateau Fort-Lignac.
Following the educational portion of the evening, attendees had the option to stay for dinner. Since the classes are held in the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Kitchen House in College Park, where Kevin Fonzo is in culinary residence, the multi-course meal featured dishes Fonzo prepared especially for the evening.
A KCuvée class is especially good for someone new to wines because Marin and Bean walk you through many of the basics – no one will feel left out or that they’re being “talked down” to. Their Introductory Wine Class is a great place to start. Visit the website to see the class topics and schedule and to sign up.
