Sam’s Academy Wine Classes

The July-through-September class schedule for Sam’s Academy is ready for viewing. Sam’s Academy is the wine education program for Sam’s Wines & Spirits. The classes are held in Chicago (at CHIC/Le Cordon Bleu campus), Downers Grove and Highland Park and are led by Bill St. John.

I have taken two classes at the Academy and I highly recommend them to anyone seriously interested in learning more about wine and cheese. Bill is a great teacher – very knowledgeable, friendly and full of information. He takes teaching these classes seriously and demands that those who attend do too. He doesn’t tolerate talking while he is presenting, which is great if you’re there to learn (not so great if you planned on giggling with your friends over the stinky cheese). That is not to say that it’s all work and no play. There’s time to socialize and enjoy the wine – and you get plenty of both. I attended a French wine and cheese pairing and a Spanish/Italian wine and cheese pairing class. I left both classes tipsy, full and with more knowledge about wine and cheese than I came with.

The classes fill up quick, so if you’re interested, check out the schedule and book a session or two soon:
Sam’s Academy July – September, 2007

Recommendation | The Wine Diva & Kim Crawford

On Saturday night, my fiancé and I attended an outdoor patio dinner in Bucktown. We arrived early and sat down at a table with none other than the Wine Diva – Christine Blumer. We attended one of Chris’s wine and cheese pairing classes at the Calphalon Culinary Center where she introduced me to what has become my favorite white wine – Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. Just the smell of it makes me happy and drinking a glass washes away any care in the world. She, of course had no idea that she had such an impact on my wine life, but I mentioned to her that I was serving this wine at our upcoming wedding in August. I jokingly said “She (i.e. Kim) is going to be our special guest!”. And wouldn’t you know, Chris says “Kim Crawford is actually a guy!”. So there you have it. Now, Kim will be our official Best Man at the wedding and we’re still looking for the perfect red to be our Maid of Honor – then we’ll have the perfect marriage.

I highly recommend picking up a bottle of Kim Crawford’s Sauvignon Blanc and enjoying it outside on a warm summer night. And if you love it as much as I do, then you also owe it all to the Wine Diva, so make sure to visit Chris’s website for information about classes and private wine parties.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2006 is available at Sam’s Wines & Spirits for $14.99.