Raise your class

NOW I  do like my wine. So when I travel to a new destination I like to try out the local alcohol offerings. But I have never really been much of a buff on vintages and always wanted to be able to distinguish between a fruity and oaky tastes and understand all the  jargon used by the experts.

So I have embarked on a wine-tasting course at Gibneys of +Malahide Dublin The pub and off licence has been at the heart of this leafy village in County Dublin for decades - and the staff know their stuff.

Each student is presented with a box of six tasting glasses. Last night we were given an overview of wine production and various techniques. My fascinating discovery was that white wine can be made from red grapes. Two of the three grapes used to make champagne are RED.

We got to taste six wines from around the world. A spittoon was on each table but it didn't get much use. And at the end of the evening, us students were invited to polish off the bottles. Three of us dedicated scholars eventually left the classroom three hours after the end of lesson.

Next week is all about France. The final week concentrates on champagne. I hope there are lots of samples to finish off after school.