Cube’s Wine Classes at DTLA Pop-up
Back in April, I attended one of Cube’s wine education classes at their office also known as their Saturday Marketplace and Pop-up. They offer gardening classes as well as wine education quarterly. Bonus, they sell great knick knacks and home furnishings. Think museum store quality at a discount.
The pop-up is here again. On Saturday, August 14, attend Cube’s Wine Director David King’s “The Very Best Boutique Italian Wines” class at 12:30 p.m.
David King
During my Introduction to Italian Wines class taught by David, I got to try 6 wines from various regions of Italy. We learned all about those “Crazy Acronyms” the Italians use to label their wines. David told us that just because it’s classified as table wine doesn’t mean it’s bad. But just because they’re classified at all doesn’t mean they’re great. It basically takes tasting the wine to discover what you like. But it helps to know which regions offer what type of wine you might prefer- sweet, dry, etc.
We started with two whites; a pinot grigio and gavi. What’s Gavi? As it turns out, a lot of the grapes in Italy is secondary when it comes to names. Italian wines are mostly known for their regions. Gavi is from the Piedmont region. The Gavi grape is cortese yet we wouldn’t call it Cortese. Confusing? Yes, very.
Everyone knows Chianti, right? Except I don’t particularly like it. Then I discovered Chianti is made primarily from Sangiovese grapes. And I intensely dislike Sangiovese. It’s way too earthy for me. Yet, I didn’t mind this wine too much. David mentioned to us that it’s generally not worth paying retail for Chianti as it’s overpriced with a “Tuscan tax.”
Next we were introduced to Titolo from Elena Fucci. The grape is Aglianico (del Vulture) which David said was unlike any other wine. Del Vulture means the grapes are grown on the side of an extinct volcano, Mt. Vulture. I thought it was quite well bodied and it was definitely a food wine. I would love to try it with a lamb or beef dish. Maybe even a burger!
Up until this point, I wasn’t in love with any of the wines but once we hit the barolo, I knew we were getting closer to what I like. I sometimes order nebbiolo and as it turns out, that is the grape of barolo. It is also from the Piedmont area. I’d drink this with perhaps a mushroom ravioli or a truffle dish.
Finally, we tried the Amarone which turned out to be my favorite. It is a blend of three grapes; Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella. It is definitely a sweeter wine. Although it is sweet, it smelled grassy initially. David recommended trying it with dark chocolate.
I had a great time at the class. And I bought a couple of items at the Marketplace. I’m looking forward to trying out my green thumb though I’m more of a (farmers market) forager than gardener.
Cooking with Sweet Summer Corn (two classes at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.)
The Fall Vegetable Garden (10:30 a.m.)
Using the Garden Herbs (1:30 p.m.)