Recap: Wow – what a great event – Member Appreciation!

Member Appreciation Event - May 24th at The Hopkins Center for the Arts

The long-standing members of FPA of MN, members 10 years or longer, were privy to a wonderful presentation by Jason Kallsen of Twin Cities Wine Education. Jason provided insight on 7% of wines that fly under the radar in his presentation “Hidden Gems of the Wine World.” With Jason’s teachings and wit, we learned about “wine speak” which are terms we should use to describe a wine and to use at a wine store or restaurant when selecting a wine. Great wine store owners and knowledgeable waiters should be able to assist you selecting a wine to meet your desires.

Members started with 2 whites and rose. After listening about these wines, from different parts of the world, tasting began with a better sense of what to expect and how to judge what we were tasting. It was interesting that the judging of these three was split evenly with liking by the group. It goes to show that our taste buds react differently. There were also great questions about what food may complement each of the wines.

We moved on to 3 reds. Again Jason describe the origin of reds and what we can expect from different grapes and countries. It was interesting what we learned about wines from Portugal and Chile and the Petite Shiraz is not a Shiraz. It is a completely different grape with a different flavor. Also very good.

It was intriguing that the wines sampled ran $12 to $25 a bottle. You don’t need to spend big dollars for great wine but you don’t want to go cheap to enjoy great flavor. It also does not hurt to have a good “box” wine on hand for your enjoyment.

The program was really enjoyed by all. Everyone came away with more wine knowledge. The conclusion is if you don’t know the name of a wine or what wine to select, describe what you are looking for and the wine store owner/waiter should point you in the right direction.