Cooking classes · Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Cambridge, MA
Wine Tasting Class
A wine tasting class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, run by one of the owners of the Gordon's liquor stores. The vintage chart we used is a page from a Zagat restaurant guide (the Boston listings show through from the back of the page), rating the major wine regions year by year.
Run by one of the owners of the Gordon's liquor stores.
From the classThe vintage chart used in class. It is a page from a Zagat restaurant guide (Zagat's 0 to 30 scale; ratings by Howard Stravitz).
What we learned
About the chart (from a Zagat guide)
- A Zagat guide vintage chart on Zagat's 0 to 30 scale. The ratings are by Howard Stravitz, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, who did the vintage charts for the Zagat guides.
- Scores reflect both the quality of the vintage and how ready the wine is to drink. A dash means past its peak or too young to rate.
- Covers vintages from 1986 through 2005, leaving out 1987 and 1991-1993.
- Whites: French (Alsace, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Champagne, Sauternes), California (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc), Austrian (Gruner Veltliner/Riesling) and German.
- Reds: French (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Beaujolais), California (Cabernet/Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel), Oregon Pinot Noir, Italian (Tuscany, Piedmont), Spanish (Rioja, Ribera del Duero/Priorat) and Australian Shiraz/Cabernet.
- Top scores of 28 to 29 are highlighted on the chart.