Learn the basics with North Fork wine classes

Originally published: June 21, 2009 10:10 AM
By Anne Machalinski anne.machalinski@newsday.com

Quick Summary

Find out how wine goes from grape to glass.

Chardonnay Grapes

As frequent visitors of the North Fork vineyards for about 10 years, partners Tracy Kamens and Jared Skolnick have always been impressed by the quality of the local wines. About four years ago, their interest in the region and wine in general led them to create a business plan: Offer consumer-focused wine classes for those visiting or living in the region.

In 2005 they bought the former Catapano Dairy Farm property in Mattituck, next door to Macari Vineyards , where they converted the barn into a wine tasting room, complete with projectors and equipment for video presentations. They also planted a very small vineyard on one-tenth of an acre of the property to use solely for educational purposes.

Kamens, now the instructor, took classes and received a number of wine certifications. While renovating the property in 2006, they started running classes at area vineyards. In 2007, Grand Cru Wine Classes opened, and the first public class took place last April.

Wine class season runs from April to October. Each class lasts two hours, costs $75 per person, and meets on Saturday or Sunday afternoons or by private appointment.

The most general class, From Vine to Wine, walks students through the complete process of creating wine. The Mystery to Mastery class takes a single wine in four separate glasses, one in its pure form, one with extra acid, one with extra sugar and one with extra tannin. The student learns to differentiate between these elements and properly taste wine. The Great Grape Series, a standalone class, focuses on a single varietal of grape with tastings of five wines from around the world. From Potato Farms to Parker Points: The Long Island Wine Region Comes of Age describes how the region made the change, starting in 1973 and gaining traction in the 1980s, from a standard agricultural region to one with more than 30 thriving vineyards.

Additional custom classes can also be arranged.

Grand Cru Wine Classes 2985 Sound Ave. Mattituck 631-298-1231 www.grandcruclasses.com