Spanish Wine Educator's Course: This Weekend

Tomorrow, I will begin the first day of the Spanish Wine Educator's course. Registration begins at 8am and the day ends around 4pm. Plus, the course is being held in Norwood which means I will face some traffic on Rt.128, both getting there and returning home afterwards. So, it should be a long day. Saturday will be a similar day, though without much of the traffic. And Sunday will only be a half-day, though that will be Test day.

I have been studying the course book for the class, though it certainly is not exciting reading. It is more just a compilation of basic facts, and it also appears that the class room will be supplementing some of the materials. But at least I have some idea of what will be discussed and won't have to cram everything into a couple days.

I am most curious about the blind wine tasting test. We must identify the grape & its origin as well as comment on its quality and wine making technique. That could be very tough or they could make it easier. For example, both a Cava and a Sherry would be much easier to identify than maybe differentiating between Tempranillo from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. I do very little blind tasting myself so this will be largely a new experience for me. Maybe I should start considering doing some more blind tasting.

If I pass the course, I will be certified as a Spanish Wine Educator. What does that really mean? There still would be plenty of information about Spanish wine that I would not know. It could grant me additional credibility in certain circles. But to me, I most see it as making me an ambassdor of sorts for Spanish wine, an advocate helping to promote the Spanish wine industry. Though I have been an advocate for some time, this will strengthen my commitment to such. And I will continue learning about Spanish wine.