…delivered by experienced speaker, Vivienne Franks, from Aspects of Wine Ltd. She outlined where wine grapes are grown, how wine is made, the various styles of wine and how these can be successfully matched with different ingredients or dishes. Vivienne explained how to interpret the information on the bottle label and how to store and serve wine at its best. She called tasting the wine ‘thinking drinking’ and enthusiastically led the students through the process of looking, then smelling and finally sipping. Foods representing the core tasting elements such as saltiness, sweetness, acidity and bitterness were then paired in complementary and contrasting ways with six different wines. This prompted the girls to discuss and ask numerous perceptive questions, further developing their appreciation of different wine styles and qualities, which could prove useful in any dining situation. The evening was most enjoyable and Vivienne left us all much better informed and suitably enthused.
