An Introduction to Wine

Sundays/February, 23, March 29th, May 3th, June 7th  

(4 sessions; 6:00- 7:30 PM)

Instructor: James Sweetman

Room: Multi-Purpose Room

Prerequisite: Must be 21 to participate; please bring a wine glass for each session

CEU: 0.6 per session

Course Description:  

Ernest Hemingway, Nobel laureate and grand champion of almost anything fermented, once wrote wine is “a great giver of happiness and well-being and delight.” And this course focuses on exactly that: the delight of drinking and thinking and talking about wines. Students will learn how wines are made, how to taste and analyze wines, and how to talk about wines in words we can all understand.

In addition to this theoretical component, students will enjoy the opportunity to practice what they’ve learned by tasting iconic wines that can be found for reasonable prices at their local grocery and liquor stores. James Sweetman is an educator who runs a small company teaching English literature and composition in the greater San Diego area.

In between degrees he studied at the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London, receiving a Level 3 Advanced Award in Wines and Spirits, and spent a year working in the wine industry in the south of France. These days James tends to limit his involvement in the wine industry to the enjoyment of its fruits, and he’s especially pleased when he finds a good bottle at a good price.