David Little is the enthusiastic leader of a wine tasting group that regularly meets in the Brock University wine tasting room. Hence, I hereby name it the Little Brock wine tasting group.
We meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month from September to May for a blind tasting. At the end of one season, the group decides what the next year’s tasting themes are, who will host each tasting, and when. Wine tasting themes vary from varietals (Pinot Noir, Riesling, etc.), to regions (Burgandy Left Bank, South Africa, etc.), to comparisons (Shiraz vs Syrah, Alsace Riesling vs Niagara Riesling, etc.), and other more bizarre topics, like Rice wine (though I don’t really count that as a “thing” in the world of “wine” tasting … but it was tasty and educational).
Our group is about a dozen people with various backgrounds. We have winemakers. Very talented winemakers (Megallomaniac, Thirty Bench, etc.). We have wine buyers. We have Sommeliers. We have grape growers. We have expert wine aficionados. We have not so expert aficionados (me).
Every wine tasting is hosted by two people who research and organize the wines, and prepare food that will pair with the wine. When the group gets together, it usually goes like:
- a bit of chit chat while setting out the glasses, pouring the blind (covered) wines before taking a seat
- the hosts introduce the wine region, perhaps set a “challenge” (who can identify a “ringer” in the flight, etc.)
- the group gets down to blind tasting for ~45 minutes
- the hosts lead a discussion about the wines, reveal the bottles, pass around a tip sheet and list of the wines and how they were obtained.
- the hosts bring out the food, we debate and discuss as the wines open up and the food pairings make everything taste different (usually better) again
