Riesling Expert II
A Second Installment of Riesling Expert begins January 29
We are back with a second helping of our highly popular Riesling Expert virtual program. Whether you participated in the May 2020 course or are joining for the first time, Riesling Expert II will expand your horizons and enhance your knowledge of the Finger Lakes’ signature grape. This virtual tasting series is suitable for beginners and serious enthusiasts… please note it will be more academic than some of our other virtual programs. Full color notes for each session are included with the wine 6-pack, and will be posted on this page.
Participants who register for the course and join the tastings on Facebook Live will earn a “Silver Thread Riesling Expert” award. Those who completed Riesling Expert in the spring will earn a “Silver Thread Riesling Expert II” award.
- Session 1: Minerality & Bottle Development in Dry-Style Riesling- January 29, 2021, 6:00-7:30, featuring Dry Riesling 2020 and Riesling STV Estate Vineyard 2016
- Session 2: Fruit Expression from different Vineyard Sites— February 5, 2021, 6:00-7:30pm, featuring Riesling Gridley Bluff Point Vineyard 2019 and Riesling Doyle Fournier Vineyard 2019
- Session 3: Varietal Character vs. Winemaker Influence– February 12, 6:00-7:30pm, featuring Petillant Naturel 2020 (a dry, blended sparkling wine that is majority Riesling) and Riesling 2019 (semi-dry)
Purchase a discounted pack of wines for this tasting series here. To be eligible for the Riesling Expert award, you must register for the class here.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.) What if I can’t make it to all of the virtual tastings live? Video of the sessions will be archived here for later viewing.
2.) Do I need to have the same wines you are tasting? In order to earn the Riesling Expert Award, you need to taste Rieslings that match exactly or closely to our list. We recommend that you purchase a discounted pack of wines for this tasting series here. If you already have these or similar wines you can substitute them. Please email info@silverthreadwine.com to check if the wines you already have are compatible with the course.
3.) What if I don’t want to earn the Riesling Expert Award? Anyone is welcome to participate in the virtual tastings, even if you don’t have the wine we are drinking and do not choose to earn the award.
4.) I don’t have a Facebook Account. How do I participate in the live tastings? We use Facebook to broadcast our live tastings because their service is reliable, public, and allows interaction through comments. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can still view the tastings by going to the Silver Thread Facebook Page at the appropriate time; however, you won’t be able to post comments.
5.) How do I find the live tasting on Facebook? Go to www.facebook.com/silverthreadvineyard at the appropriate time. If you don’t see the live video playing automatically near the top of the page, try clicking on our videos page. Facebook has recently made it easier to find live videos, so we will be sharing a landing page link prior to each week’s tasting.
Course Materials
We recommend you download and review course materials before each class session. Materials will be included in the wine 6-pack, and posted here before each session.
RieslingExpertIIMaterials-week3
RieslingExpertIIMaterials-week2
RieslingExpertIIMaterials-week1
Optional–AWS Wine Evaluation Chart p. 1
Optional: AWS Wine Evaluation Chart p. 2
Optional: White Wine Making Diagram
Instructors
Tastings are led by co-owners Paul and Shannon Brock, who are wine educators as well as winemakers.
Paul has an M.S. in Enology and Viticulture from Cornell University, a level 3 certification from Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and is a Certified Wine Judge through American Wine Society. He has been teaching winemaking as a professor at Finger Lakes Community College for 10 years.
Shannon holds the prestigious Level 4 Diploma in Wine & Spirits from Wine & Spirit Education Trust, is a Certified Wine Judge through American Wine Society, and has an M.Ed. from University of Virginia Curry School of Education. She has been a WSET Certified Wine Instructor for 13 years.
