Go ‘wine tasting for dummies’ at Blue and turn your hobby into a form of art

May 19, 2011 | by Faye | Spots

About the author

Hi! My name is Faye and I will be your guide through Amsterdam for the day! Enjoys randomness chat, good banter and will help you find the best dealers in fun, food and adventure.

Wine and I go way back: our relationship started when I was 10 years old. I remember trying to nip my mom’s dry white wine, pulling a sour face and thinking how on earth can you drink something like this for fun? At the age of 15 I adored the super sweet and bubbly tasting wine plus it had to be cheap and cheerful. Liebfraumilch (Wine out of a carton pack) and Canei (wannabe champagne) had both these requirements. Now I know that my infamous hangovers were (next to the quantity) probably caused by the poor quality of these wines.

At a certain point you have enough of the sweet white wine madness and have another dry white wine attempt and it tastes much better then you can remember. You start drinking dry white, and even red wine. You think you’re a sophisticated wine drinker! Nonetheless, every time you stand in a supermarket or liquor shop you’re still clueless on what makes a good wine choice. When confused or in doubt, I would choose the wine which was almost finished. assuming that the majority of people have good taste and must choose the right one… right?

Blue

Since last Monday I can call myself a ‘petite wine connoisseur’. I was invited by Blue for an easy and accessible wine tasting program. You might remember Blue from a piece I wrote for the Meet and Eat series. Back then, sisters and owners Loes and Lotte were already thinking of starting a wine program for young folk. Since then, they’ve decided to join forces with wine expert Suzanne van Broekhuizen.

We decided to work with Suzanne, because she is also a young female entrepreneur in a line of work, which is mainly dominated by men

Educational drinking

Suzanne takes us to the origin, the history and the process of making wine. Enthusiastically, but in a simple manner, she explains what the requirements are for a good wine and how to recognize a brand in a few plain steps. Using your nose, not wearing perfume and stirring your glass before you nip your wine are a few examples. After explaining the basics, it’s the audience’s turn to try and recognise a wine without knowing the brand. I am happy to say that my friends and I did a pretty good job at guessing, but then again we do have quite a bit of drinking experience.

After an educational wine seminar we were provided with some delicious snacks and a beautiful view of Amsterdam. This night was a memorable one and I would like to recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about wine without all the posh stuff or give a friend an unforgettable gift.