Thursday, August 8, 2024

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) John Gauntner, the famed Sake expert and Sake Dendoushi ("Evangelist"), will be holding his Sake Professional Course LIVE in the U.S. for the first time in four years. From Monday, October 28 to Wednesday, October 30, John will hold the 33rd North American running of the Sake Professional Course at the Brooklyn Kura in Industry City in Brooklyn, New York, just a short train ride from Manhattan. 

The content of this intensive Sake course will be identical to that of the Sake Professional Course held each January in Japan. The course is recognized by the Sake Education Council, and those that complete it will be qualified to take the exam for Certified Sake Professional, which will be offered on the evening of the last day of the course. 

The course will also of include a tour of the just-re-opened Brooklyn Kura, a Sake brewery in Brooklyn, within which John will conduct the seminar. Not only will you learn and taste about Sake, John will conduct the course in an actual Sake brewery. The course is geared toward industry professionals wishing to expand their horizons in a thorough manner into the world of Sake, and will therefore be somewhat technical in nature, and admittedly somewhat intense. It is likely more than the average consumer needs but the course is open to anyone with an interest in Sake and will certainly be enjoyable. 

The course lectures and tasting will begin with the utter basics, and will thoroughly progress through and cover everything related to Sake. There will be an emphasis on empirical experience, with plenty of exposure to a wide range of Sake in the tasting sessions throughout the three days. Each of the three days will provide the environment for a focused, intense and concerted training period.

The goal of this course is that “no Sake stone remains left unturned,” and John's motto is “exceed expectations for the course.” Every conceivable Sake-related topic will be covered, and each lecture will be complimented and augmented by a relevant tasting session. Participants will not simply hear about differences based on rice types or yeast types, they will taste and smell them. Students will not only absorb technical data about yamahai, kimoto, nama genshu, aged Sake and regionality, they will absorb the pertinent flavors and aromas within the related sake as well. Participants will taste over 80 Sake within five focused tasting exercises across the three days.

Like its counterpart held in Japan each winter, it will be quite simply the most thorough and comprehensive English-language sake education in existence. Also, as mentioned above, an exam is given at the end of the course for those that choose to seek certification. Those that pass receive a “Certified Sake Professional” certification from the non-profit organization The Sake Education Council.

The cost for the three-day class, including all materials and sake for tasting, is $1099. Participation is limited and reservations can be made now to secure a seat. Full payment will be requested by Friday, September 27th. You can read Testimonials from past participants here. For reservations or inquiries, please send an email to sakeguy0494@gmail.com.

I took this course back in 2010 and give it my unqualified recommendation for anyone who wants to learn more about Sake. John Gauntner is a superb instructor and the class was comprehensive, detailed and John added plenty of interesting anecdotes. The tastings were especially compelling, with intriguing comparison tastings that truly assisted you in understanding the complexities and differences within Sake brewing. For anyone seeking a solid and firm knowledge base of Saké, I cannot recommend this course enough.

2) A Tavola, in Winchester, which is one of my favorite Italian restaurants, has scheduled their next Wine Dinner for September 24 at 6pm. The four course dinner, with a welcome toast and antipasti, will highlights the wines of Vigna Ròda. Uliana Petrucci & Ciro Pirone will describe and discuss the wines during the course of the dinner, and the four wines will include:

Vigna Roda Serprino Frizzante
Vigna Roda Mezzavalle Rosso
Vigna Roda Scarlatto Colli Eugenei Rosso
Vigna Roda Praseo Fior d’Arancio Dolce

Chef Joe Carli will be posting the food menu soon on the A Tavola website. The dinner will cost $95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made online HERE, and I recommend making reservations now as it's very likely the dinner will sell out. 

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