1st Annual Mediterranean Wines Festival and Classes September 30, 2009

Tired of Bordeaux, California or Burgundy wines? Ready for the next big wine adventure? Want to re-live your vacations on the Mediterranean Sea?
Come join us to explore the largest wine region in the world, where wine is an integral part of lifestyle and diet. Explore red varietals such as Grenache, Tempranillo, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Syrah, Monica, Primitivo, Nero d’Avola, Xinomavro, Plavac, Mavrodaphne. Discover white varietals such as Rolle / Vermentino, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussane, Assyrtyko, Athiri, Malagousia, Muscat, Xarel-ho.

You will have the opportunity to taste over 30 wines from 11 different countries accompanied by light Mediterranean mezzes and tapas such as grape leaves, falafel, spanakopita, sambousik, cured olives, hummus as well as Mediterranean desserts such as baklava.

Wine Regions covered include:

Spain: Priorat, Penedes, Valencia,
France: Languedoc-Roussillon, Cotes du Rhone, Provence
Italy: Sardinia, Sicilia, Apuglia
Croatia: Dalmatia
Greece: Macedonia/Naoussa, Peloponnesus, Santorini
Turkey: Anatolia
Lebanon: Beeka Valley
Israel: Galilee, Judean Hills and Golan Heights
Algeria: Monts du Tessalah

In addition, you will have the opportunity to take one of these classes with your ticket price: (else, main festival starts at 6:30pm)

6:00 – 6:45 pm: Olive Oil: Taking the Mystery Out and Pouring the Profit In. A class and tasting lead by olive oil expert Bill Sanders who trained at the UC Davis Olive Oil Sensory Evaluation Program and at the Grappolini Olive Oil Evaluation Center in Tuscany. Bill blogs about wine and olive oil at Crush and Press. During this presentation, he will focus on Mediterranean olive oil (95% of the world’s production) and address the following questions:

• How to determine the quality of what you are buying (grades, extra-virgin, cold pressed, estate, etc,…)
  
• How to taste olive oil (nose, tongue, throat)
  
• How to use olive oil (cooking, dressing, drizzling, pairing)
  
• Tasting of olive oils from Spain, France and Italy

7:00 to 7:45 pm: From Romans to Americans – the War on Terroir in the Mediterranean Basin. An educational and entertaining presentation about the different wine regions of the Mediterranean Basin. We will talk about the soil, grapes, blends and wine making techniques of the different wine regions. Laurent Guinand will lead this presentation. His experience combining management consulting for wine companies with wine education will provide you with unique and fascinating insights into this region and the challenges at stakes. Tasting of 3 wines during the class. Laurent is one of the contributor to the new blog Wine at Lunch, wine blogging in the afternoon

8:00 to 8:45 pm: “Bringing the Mediterranean Diet to your Plate”. A class on the general principles of the Mediterranean Diet follow by a cooking demonstration, both lead by Capital Cooking TV Show Host Lauren deSantis. Through her TV show, Lauren has presented numerous aspects of the Mediterranean Diet. She will discuss main food families, the use of olive oil, wine and especially herbs in cooking, how meals are structured, and the different regional differences. Lauren also blogs at Capital Cooking Show.

For more information and ticket purchase, please visit GiraMondo Wine Adventures website.

Location: Whittemore House 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036 – Metro: Dupont Circle (Red Line) Hours: 6:30pm-9pm

Official Website: http://www.giramondowine.com/events