‘Winederful Evening’ series to feature tastings, food pairings
For the first time this season, the Captiva Civic Association is partnering with the Sanibel Catering Company by Bailey’s to offer residents and visitors a series of wine education classes.
The “Winederful Evening” events will take place on consecutive Mondays – Jan. 21, Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 – from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Captiva Civic Center. They will feature wine tastings with food pairings.
President Lisa Riordan explained that the Captiva Civic Association conducted a survey among its members to find out what activities or programs the community would like to see at the venue.
“Wine tasting and education was high on the list of people’s favorites,” she said.
Each of the classes will feature five wines with paired hors d’oeuvres.
“It’s tailored so each of the classes are different,” Riordan said.
Participants can attend one, two or all three to gain a broad perspective on wines.
She noted that the CCA asked Bailey’s to keep the featured wines under $25 per bottle.
“We thought that would be easier for folks say if they were buying wine to bring it to somebody’s home,” Riordan said. “So we weren’t looking at really expensive wines.”
On Jan. 21, the class will focus on bubbly and still wines from old and new world wineries. It will cover the proper methods for tasting, opening and preserving wines, as well as ordering at restaurants.
“This is basically a wine class on tasting,” she said.
A bottle of savon blanc, chardonnay, sondraia, pinot noir and brut will be featured.
On Jan. 28, participants will explore classic offerings of domestic wineries.
“Each wine will demonstrate the importance of terroir,” Riordan said.
Terroir is how a region’s climate, soils and aspect – terrain – affect the taste of a wine. The class will cover growing and harvesting conditions of wines, with some history on California’s wine making.
A zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay and fume blanc will be featured.
On Feb. 4, the final class will focus on a sampling of classic wines from around the world, again both new and old world wineries. It will also cover the history of wine making throughout the world.
“We’ll take the taste buds of guests on a journey outside of the U.S.,” she said.
“Guests will be able to compare the growing techniques used,” Riordan added.
A bottle of prosecco, pinot grigio, fleur de mer, rose, malbec and della torre will be featured.
Each class will hold a maximum of 40 participants.
The cost is $100 for the full series; for individual classes contact the CCA.
“There’s a small discount if you attend all three,” she said.
The public is encouraged to reserve a seat.
“Wine if so popular, but a lot of people don’t know a lot about wine,” Riordan said. “So it should be a fun night sharing new experiences with friends and learning about wine.”
For more information or to register, contact the CCA Office at 239-472-2111.
The Captiva Civic Center is at 11550 Chapin Lane.