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Madeira – a beautiful autonomous Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco, known for its rugged volcanic terrain, windswept vistas and lush greenery.

Madeira – a fortified wine that came to extreme popularity some 400 years ago for its transcendentally complex flavor and virtual indestructibility. The beverage consumed by America’s Founding Fathers as they drafted the documents that created our nation and our democracy. And one of the rare wines that the greatest wine writers of all time have deemed that without which they cannot live happily. 

Madeira Fundamentals will explore the island and its wines: the process by which these eternally long-lived wines are produced, and a comparative tasting of the primary styles all from one singularly excellent producer. 

Thursday, March 25, 7:00pm-9:00pm, $55 per person.

Live on Zoom

Join us for the return of our Sake Fundamentals. If you missed the first offering of this class, please join us in March so that you can get the foundation you’ll need to continue the journey to more advanced methods and styles in April.

Fundamentals is just that – more than the basics of sake, this is a complete explanation of the fascinating process by which these beverages are produced, details on how they can/should be served, a lesson on basic kanji to help you read sake labels on store shelves, a tutorial on how to taste and describe sake, and a comparative tasting of the six primary styles to illuminate the key differences between them. 

Thursday, March 18, 7:00pm-9:00pm, $65 per person.

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Join us for an extremely rare opportunity to taste comparatively the wines of Cedric Bouchard. Cedric is unquestionably one of the brightest stars in all of Champagne. His revolutionary philosophy turns traditional Champagne on its head: single vineyard, single varietal, single vintage, zero dosage, recoltant manipulant (grower-producer) wines.

These factors add up to some of the most striking and exceptional wines in all of Champagne today. We will taste four of Cedric’s wines comparatively, discussing how vineyard site, grape, and vintage express themselves when unblended in this region known for exactly the opposite.

Because of the rarity of these wines, there are very few seats available—if you are interested, please do sign up right away to secure your samples.

Thursday, March 11, 7:00pm-8:30pm. $95 per person.

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Valentine’s Day—that time of year when social media explodes with ideas about wine and chocolate pairing. The truth is, they rarely work. 

Chocolate (particularly sweeter confections) will dampen the fruit intensity and amplify the tannins of most red wines. And while they can be lovely with some sweet dessert style wines, that can quickly become a little too indulgent for date night romance. 

Do you know what works beautifully with chocolates of all percentages and varieties? Bourbon Whiskey. 

The barrel-ageing techniques that are specific to Bourbon production make it an excellent pairing for everything from creamy milk to brooding dark. And the caramel, dried fruit, or nut components of chocolate candies amplify many of the characteristic flavors of Bourbon beautifully. 

On February 13, we’ll explore the classic Bourbon profiles and discuss the production techniques that give rise to their aromas and flavors through a tutored tasting of 8 bourbons.

Gather your favorite chocolates, or share that Valentine’s Day confection box with your loved one a day early, and join us to learn about the sweet-scented complexity of these American whiskeys.

90-minute Zoom session, plus a downloadable recording of the session if you are unable to attend Live, and six ¾-ounce samples of Bourbon.

Feb 11, 18, 25 7pm-8pm

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That true winter chill in the air makes many of us want to cozy up with a thought-provoking glass of red wine. 

To that end, Wine Wisdom February will explore the iconic black grapes of Northern Italy and the lush and/or intense red wines that they produce. I couldn’t restrict this Wine Wisdom to only 2 wines per week (too many grapes, too little time!) so I’ve expanded our selection to 3 wines per week. 

We’ll start in North Western Italy, tasting Dolcetto, Barbera, and Lambrusco. In the second week, we’ll add the blockbuster Nebbiolos of Piemonte from Barbaresco, Barolo, and Alto Piemonte. In the final week, we’ll travel to North Eastern Italy to taste the wines of the Veneto, comparing Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, and Amarone all from the same excellent producer. 

We will still offer the full-sized option, which will include a gift certificate to from Barrel Thief in Richmond for the 9 wines (shipping is available), but if you’d prefer to keep the cost or the quantity down, we’ll have you covered with both single and double sizes of our sample kits. Delivery to Charlottesville will be available. 

Full Bottles: 3 online sessions, plus a downloadable recording of each, and a gift certificate to Barrel Thief wine redeemable for the 9-bottle package: $375

Single Samples: 3 online sessions, plus a downloadable recording of each, and 9 two-ounce samples $95

Double Samples: 3 online sessions, plus a downloadable recording of each, and 18 two-ounce samples $180

Live Via Zoom

A beginner level introduction to wine suitable for those starting a wine career or pursuing an interest in wine. For individuals new to wine study, this qualification provides a hands-on introduction to the world of wine. You’ll explore the main types and styles of wine through sight, smell and taste, while also gaining the basic skills to describe wines accurately, and make food and wine pairings.