The Culinary Institute of America Launches New Wine Lovers Boot Camps in 2012 at its Napa Valley Campus

Two- and Five-Day Classes Will Heighten Consumers' Skill and Confidence in Wine Selection, Tasting, and Pairing with Food

Hyde Park, NY, January 11, 2012 – At a time when wine awareness and consumption in the United States continues to grow dynamically, The Culinary Institute of America is launching a new series of classes designed for the wine enthusiast at its St. Helena, CA campus.

Wine Lovers Boot Camp will debut in spring 2012 at the CIA at Greystone, whose location in the heart of the Napa Valley—home to great vineyards and wine estates—is ideal for the study and enjoyment of wine. The two courses launching this new series are Wine Lovers Boot Camp—Basic Training and Wine Lovers Boot Camp—Tasting Like a Pro.

Wine Lovers Boot Camp—Basic Training is a five-day exploration of the joys wine can bring to one's lifestyle, and is designed to elevate participants' overall understanding of wine. The program will also enable students to select and enjoy wine with greater knowledge and confidence, whether shopping for a mid-week meal at home, dining out at a restaurant, or hosting a special social gathering.

Working with the CIA's renowned faculty, students in this Boot Camp will taste the world's major white and red wine grape varieties as they learn to decipher wine labels from regions near and far. They will discover how a vineyard's location and a winemaker's influence can impact the flavor, style, and price of wine. Through tastings, participants will learn how to evaluate wine "flavor" and place it skillfully in the context of a meal. This newfound understanding will ultimately be put into practice in the kitchen as students prepare a multi-course meal with paired wines.

Initial 2012 class dates are February 13–17, April 16–20, and May 21–25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuition is $2,195 per person, and the class is open to students 21 years of age and older.

It is often said in oenophile circles that a wine is good if you like it. But how do professionals objectively evaluate wine? The CIA's Wine Lovers Boot Camp—Tasting Like a Pro will teach the casual wine drinker how to adopt professional approaches to tasting wine.

This two-day program will guide participants through proper tasting technique and teach them how to recognize important wine attributes that determine the quality and style of still, sparkling, and sweet wines. Through structured tastings, students will discover the influence on flavor of winemaking techniques, from barrel fermentation to fortification. Blind tastings will ultimately test their ability to identify wines like professionals.

Initial class dates for 2012 are February 2–3, February 29–March 1, March 26–27, April 13–14, and May 17–18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuition is $895 per person, and the class is open to students 21 years of age and older.

On select class days, students in both Wine Lovers Boot Camp programs will enjoy dinner at the on-campus Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant.

To enroll in a CIA Wine Lovers Boot Camp, visit www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts or call 1-800-888-7850.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1: Beginning in spring 2012, the CIA's new Wine Lovers Boot Camp classes will take place at the college's Greystone campus in California's famed Napa Valley. (Photo credit: CIA/Keith Ferris)

Photo 2: Savoring the joys of wine, for either personal pleasure or in launching a wine industry career, is one of the myriad benefits of the new Wine Lovers Boot Camps at the CIA. (Photo credit: CIA/Keith Ferris)

Media Contact:

Jay Blotcher
Media Relations Specialist
845-905-4419
j_blotch@culinary.edu

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