I just got in my end of course evaluations from my sold-out class, A Wine Trip Through Europe. Not to toot my own horn but...toot!

"Andy is a natural teacher and is really enthusiastic about the topic of wine. He has developed a

beautiful script for the class with detailed notes and beautiful photos of the regions where the

particular wines are made. Many of our class of 14 had previous wine experiences in the

countries covered in the class, which coupled with Andy's information, made for a very

energetic and enjoyable time. We plan to take the class again whenever it is offered next."

"Andy is an engaging instructor who is thoroughly passionate about what he teaches and eager

to share the subject matter with his class. Andy enthusiastically delivers his instruction through

analogies to deepen our understanding and invitations to his audience to share experiences

and ask questions. For sure, Andy provided a comfortable environment for all. My past position

at university located in Philadelphia (I recently retired) required me to perform me to perform in

class teacher evaluations. As far as I'm concerned, Andy knocked all of my clients out of the

ballpark! What a natural! Thank you OLLI for engaging Metro Wine among your course

offerings!"

"Such an enjoyable class! Andy is an excellent presenter and shows his love of the topic. A

great ambassador for Metro Wine!"

"I had heard great things about the wine courses and was very pleased to find the

recommendations to all be true. What a delight!"

"Best course I have taken virtually anywhere in my life (and I have taken a lot of courses!). Very

much appreciated Andy's knowledge and tremendous patience. Thank you, Andy!!"

"The course was very well done, however I bought too much wine"

Last week was the last of our four part series "A Wine Trip Through Europe" class taught through the OLLI Program at UNC Asheville. This class was meant to be a celebration of European wines with a lot of geography, wine regions and traditional grape varietals thrown in. It was intended to demystify European wine and to especially make navigating the French and Italian sections of wine lists easier.

Due to the looming threat of 100% tariffs on European wine, it became something slightly different. Still educational, but with a more somber undercurrent. We worried that this would be the last "hoorah" through European wine regions. We learned about the wines of Bordeaux, and then worried that what we had in our glass would become the last we would taste.

Of course, if a 100% tariff were to be passed, this would mean that most European wines would cease being imported. Nobody wants to pay $40 for a $20 wine. European wines would dissapear from wine shope shelves and wine lists throughout the country.

Fortunately, it seems that these apacolyptic tariffs have been avoided for now, although they could resume at the Trump Administration's will. There are still some tariffs on European wines in place, but they aren't enough to stop consumers from purchasing them. If you have noticed that your favorite French wine has increased by a few dollars, the current tariffs are probably responsible.

Fortunately, European wines will still grace the shelves of Metro Wines and wine lists around the US. I'll always remember my "Wine Trip Through Europe" class as a reminder of how close we came to losing these amazing wines.

School is back in session at AB Tech and we are returning with our wildly successful Foundations of Wine class! This course is designed for people who want to break into the wine industry, or for those already in the industry who are looking to up their wine game or even take a Sommelier exam. Of course, it is open to non-industry folk as well who just want to learn some restauraunt-grade wine service skills and learn a lot of wine regions and grapes.

The course covers flavor characteristics of grapes from all over the world, proper steps of wine and Champagne service, information about the various Sommelier Certification programs and grapes and terroir of the wine regions of the world.

The Winter 2020 class is sold out, but it will return in the Fall Semester at AB Tech. For more information, contact Maria Spadaro 828-398-7925, marialspadaro@abtech.edu.

Cheers!

By popular demand, we are bringing one of our most popular series of classes from the OLLI program at UNCA to the Asheville School of Wine, complete and unedited!

Money, Mayhem & Murder covers the worst crimes in the wine industry, both historical and modern day. We will cover everything from Arson to Fraud and, of course, Murder.

This will be a series of three classes, each one will be two hours long and include wines to taste that have been paired with the stories.

Each class is $30 plus tax or $75 for all three classes.

Class 1: Money

This class will examine the financial crimes committed in the world of wine. Theft, Ponzi Schemes, arson and counterfeit wine will be covered in this class.

March 10th from 5:00-7:00

Class 2: Mayhem

The “Wine Mafia”in France, wine terrorists, a scandal that tanked an entire country's wine program, a wine bottle brawl at 30,000 feet and why you should never mess with Chateau Cheyval Blanc.

March 17th from 5:00-7:00

Class 3: Murder

Murders and poisons in the world of wine. The Borgias, Rasputin, a Sicilian who helped women murder their husbands and a modern day murder–suicide in Napa Valley.

March 24th from 5:00-7:00

Buy Tickets Here!

We were interviewed by Market Watch Magazine recently about our upcoming Beaujolais Nouveau Tasting and book signing. In it I made the bold claim that we are on the verge of a quality revolution for Nouveau. Just like all wines, I think we as consumers are growing tired of mass-produced, mediocre quality wines and are purchasing better quality products. That's why we have decided to focus on only quality Nouveau this year, instead of stacking cases of pinkish-hued plonk. This belief that we are buying better quality wines is what is feuling my belief that Nouveau will get better and better over time.

Having said that, Nouveau is different from traditionally fermented wine. We are talking about wine that hasn't been aged at all, the grapes were literally on the vine a few months ago. It will never rival Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but it isn't supposed to. Beaujolais Nouveau is a seasonal celebration of the current harvest. It should be simple, fresh, fruity and fun. It doesn't have to be any more than that.

Read the full article here!

That's right! We've made it to the big leagues here at the Asheville School of Wine. We were approached by AB Tech's fantastic Craft Beverage Institute about adding some classes on wine to go along with their courses on Beer. Of course we excitedly agreed!

The course was designed to provide practical wine knowledge and service to professionals who are currently in the wine industry or want to get into the industry. We also wanted it to serve as a "first step" towards Sommelier Certification through one of the Sommelier Guilds. 

In our 12 hour course we covered everything from opening bottles of wine and Champagne, to blind tasting, careers in wine, sensory analysis, and steps of service. It also covered lots and lots of information on wines and wine regions of the world.

It was a fantastic experience and something I'm looking for ward to doing again. We will teach the same course again in early 2020. Contact AB Tech if you are interested in taking this course.

As the heat of Summer is starting to fade, it's time to announce our Fall Semester of wine classes here at the Asheville School of Wine! There are 8 classes lined up for you before the year is out.

Starting out, we have the Blind Tasting League, which returns on September 19th at 5:30. This interactive class will delve into the Sommelier art of deductive blind tasting. We will taste two whites and two reds in this fun, informative and funny class, as we try to guess the varietal and country of origin of each. $20 tax included!

Next, we will have our Fall series of classes, "Around the World in Wine." This four-part series will cover the famous wines and regions of the world. Starting with France on October 1st at 5:30, Italy on October 8th, Spain and Portugal on October 15th, and then Wines of the New World on October 22nd. These classes are $25 each plus tax or $85 plus tax for all 4 classes.

Expect to learn about the spooky things lurking in your glass of wine in the annual "Dark Side of Wine" class. Is your favorite wine made out of grapes, or something more sinister? Find out on October 30th at 5:30. $25 plus tax.

Confused by Port and Sherry? You aren't alone! Learn about all of the different styles of fortified wine in our course on Port and Sherry. November 19th at 5:30. $25 plus tax.

Finally, just in time for the New Year is our class on Sparkling Wine! What's the difference between Champagne, Cava and Prosecco? What in the world is Cremant? Find out in our class on December 17th at 5:30! $25 plus tax.

Buy Tickets Here!

Stay tuned for details coming soon!

By popular demand, we are bringing one of our most popular series of classes from the OLLI program at UNCA to the Asheville School of Wine, complete and unedited!

Money, Mayhem & Murder covers the worst crimes in the wine industry, both historical and modern day. We will cover everything from Arson to Fraud and, of course, Murder.

This will be a series of three classes, each one will be two hours long and include wines to taste that have been paired with the stories.

Each class is $30 plus tax or $75 for all three classes.

Class 1: Money

This class will examine the financial crimes committed in the world of wine. Theft, Ponzi Schemes, arson and counterfeit wine will be covered in this class.

June 13th from 5:00-7:00

Class 2: Mayhem

The “Wine Mafia”in France, wine terrorists, a scandal that tanked an entire country's wine program, a wine bottle brawl at 30,000 feet and why you should never mess with Chateau Cheyval Blanc.

June 20th from 5:00-7:00

Class 3: Murder

Murders and poisons in the world of wine. The Borgias, Rasputin, a Sicilian who helped women murder their husbands and a modern day murder–suicide in Napa Valley.

June 27th from 5:00-7:00

Ok I'll admit, that's a pretty controversial title.

Riesling has long been seen as the grape of the uncultured, the wine you have to keep a bottle of in case Aunt Bertha stops by. A glass of sweet plonk that is marginally better than that bottle of Muscadine you bought at a gas station as a gag-gift for your wine snobby friend.

But Riesling is a favorite of Sommeliers around the world, myself included. In fact, many of the wine experts I have looked up to over the years have admitted to me that their favorite wine is Riesling.

I realize that most of us had our first hangover from the sugary stuff we bought at the grocery store in college. If the idea of Riesling conjures up images of bottles shaped like a cat or emblazoned with an image of a Blue Nun, keep in mind those are cheap knock-off's of Riesling mostly made from the grape Sylvaner.

When I was 19, I spent a little over a month in the Mosel Valley of Germany. I wasn't old enough to drink in the US yet, but I was plenty old enough in Germany, so at our first restaurant stop, I clumsily ordered a glass of red wine. The server smiled as if I had made a faux pas and kindly offered to bring me something more regionally famous. Thus began my lifelong love of Riesling.

Riesling is aromatic and floral, and naturally has very high levels of acid, but it is not always sweet. Often it is left with a bit of residual sugar to balance out it's bracing tartness, think of it as adding sugar to lemonade. If you are a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, I have no doubt you will enjoy a dry Riesling.

If you are interested in learning more about Riesling, the Noble Grape of Germany, come to our next Much Maligned Grapes class which will be about Riesling. The class premiers on May 21st from 5:30-6:30.

We had some good times this Winter and early Spring.

We tackled famously unpopular grape varietals like Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in our Much Maligned Grapes Series of classes. In each class we tasted examples of each grape from around the world. I think we had some converts.

We literally visited every province in Italy. Twice. Our Northern and Southern Italian classes were so popular we had to schedule them over and over again.

But now we say goodbye to our Winter Semester and make way for more classes coming this Summer.

See you all there!

I have to admit, I didn't think we would be THAT successful with changing people's opinions about Merlot.

Merlot has been a bad word since the movie "Sideways" came out in 2004, and even the people who buy the few bottles we sell every year seem embarrassed about picking one up. They usually offer up an excuse of some sort. "I hate Merlot, but this bottle is actually pretty good" or some similar explanation. I've got news for you, you like Merlot and that is ok.

People think that liking Merlot makes them an uncultured rube. I've actually had people come up to the tasting bar in our wine shop excited to try the red and white we are pouring that day, just to change their mind once they see the word "Merlot" on the label. With a wave of their hand, they say "no thanks, I don't drink Merlot," as if they caught us in a trick at the last moment.

Imagine how surprised we were when our "Much Maligned Grapes: Merlot" class sold out! We packed 26 people into our classroom and fed them 5 different Merlot's from all over the world as they listened to me rant about "Sideways" and Juniper Cooper from Mutual Distribution talk about each wine.

The amazing thing was, the attendees really liked the wines! We sold out of the bottles we brought in for the event. Looking at our inventory afterwards you would think we had been robbed. It was the most Merlot purchased in one day since we opened our doors six years ago.

Did we change the course of wine history? Have we officially ended the stigma of drinking Merlot?  Only time will tell, but yes.

Do you love the movie Sideways? Did Paul Giamatti convince you to stop drinking Merlot? Maybe it's time to revisit this old favorite.

On March 19th we will take a tour of perhaps the most maligned grape of all with examples to taste from all over the world. Taste and learn about five different bottles of Merlot served with cheese. Andy Hale will start the class with an overview of the history and characteristics of the grape and Juniper Cooper will present the five bottles with the particular details concerning the country of origin and the style of the wine.

https://metrowinesasheville.com/store/product/much-maligned-grapes-merlot-on-march-19th/

Well it looks like our tiny classroom just isn't big enough! Even though we crammed almost 30 people in for our 2-part Italian Wine class, we still have a massive waiting list. Since so many people didn't make it into our class, we have opened up some new dates for our popular class.

There will be a second class for Northern Italy on March 12th at 5:30, although this class is already sold out.

A third class for Northern Italy is scheduled for April the 9th at 5:30.

A second class for Southern Italy is scheduled for April the 11th at 5:30.

The cost for each class is $25 plus tax and includes a tasting of some of the wines we will discuss in the lecture.

Buy classes here! https://www.metrowinesasheville.com/store/special-events/

Last night we hosted Chris Curtis from Winebow Distribution for our first class in our "Much Maligned Grapes" Series of classes. In this four part series of classes we will focus on a single grape varietal and taste examples of it from all over the world and with very different flavor profiles. Last night's class "Chardonnay Around the World" was the first in this series.

I started the class off with some information about the basic characteristics of Chardonnay, and then spoke about some of the techniques that winemakers can use to add the famous "Buttery" flavor that some Chardonnays are famous for.

For the rest of the class, Chris took us on a tasting tour of 6 Chardonnays from around the world. As we swirled, sniffed and slurped the wines, Chris spoke about the wine regions of each and talked about how each wine was made.

After it was all done, we had some self proclaimed "Chardonnay haters" that found a few Chardonnays that they would actually buy! I think everyone learned a little more about one of the most versatile and famous white wines.

Join us on March 19th as we continue the Much Maligned Grapes Series with the most maligned grape of them all: Merlot! Don't avoid Merlot just because Paul Giamatti told you not to!

Intimidated by the Italian wine section of your favorite wine shop or restaurant wine list?

Fear no more!

We are taking the most popular section of our Around the World in Wine series and going more in-depth. Instead of a quick glossing over of the most important Italian wines and regions, we will delve deeper and talk about the lesser known wines as well. You will leave this class confident and ready to take on an all Italian wine list!

This series will feature two classes, one on the wines of Northern Italy and one for the South.

In the Northern Italian Class, expect to learn about and taste the most famous of Italian wines. Learn about Chianti, Soave, Brunello, Barolo, Amarone and many more. This class will premier on Thursday January 24th from 5:30 until 6:30.

The Southern Italian Class will cover wines and regions south of Tuscany. These will be less famous, richer in style and a better value. Learn about Italian Zinfandel aka Primitivo, the wines of Campania - the ancient Roman equivalent to First Growths, the wines of Sicily and even Sardinia. Drinking the wines from one region will supposedly extend your life, find out why! This class will premier on Thursday January 31st from 5:30-6:30.

The cost for each class is $25 plus tax per person and includes a wine tasting and cheese.

Since our 6-class series of wine classes were so popular last year, we are bringing them back for  another go!

This series will tackle everything from the basics of wine; varietals, food and wine pairing, describing wine flavors and even interacting with your Sommelier, to the more advanced classes on the different wines of the world; regions, grapes, and terroir.

Of course, there will be wines to taste and cheese to eat along with the class itself.

Learn, laugh, and learn to talk about wine with confidence.

More info at http://www.ashevilleschoolofwine.com/schedule

So you may have noticed that I have been absent from this site for a little while. Like a dutiful husband, I followed my wife to Nashville when she was offered a big promotion with her company.

In life, you have to go where the job takes you. Right?

We were in Nashville for about 6 months when the combination of hot, humid weather, miserable traffic and hour-long work commutes caused us to rethink our move. We missed the mountains, the funky vibe of the Asheville scene, and our friends and family that we left behind. We talked it over and decided that a job wasn't worth sacrificing our quality of life.

Sometimes you don't realize how great your life really is until you move away and shake everything up.

We packed up our house and pointed our cars to the East. Back to Asheville. Back home.

This is my rambling way of saying that I will be taking over the reins of the Asheville School of Wine again. In the coming months, expect to see more classes and events posted and I'll be running my virtual mouth here on this blog as well. Keep an eye out for classes like "Money, Mayhem & Murder: The Darkest Side of Wine" through the OLLI Program at UNCA, "Wine Essentials" and many more!

It's great to be back and an honor to be resuming my post here at the School! See you all again soon!