Food, Home & Lifestyle

Introduction

James Suckling

Lesson time 03:37 min

Meet your new instructor: Internationally-renowned wine critic James Suckling. In your first lesson, James brings you into Tuscany's Il Borro Cellars to tell you what you'll learn, why he's teaching, and how wine appreciation can enhance your life.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Introduction

Preview

There's so much about wine that you need to know. There's so much to learn and discover. And with each bottle, each glass, there's a new discovery. I'm here in Tuscany. And this class is going to be like staying with me for the week. We're going to taste wines together, eat, meet my friends and family. I'm going to teach you how to enhance your wine appreciation. You can have a few tips-- how to swirl the glass, what to say at dinner, even how to host your own tasting. But at the same time, I want you to take something away from my passion and my knowledge. You're going to see how I approach wine as a wine critic, how I taste and drink wine as a wine lover, how I look forward to every glass, every bottle, and all the information behind it. You're not going to become a master sommelier or a master of wine. And you don't have to be one. All you have to do is love wine. I've been tasting wines for almost 40 years. Each year, I taste 18,000 wines with my son and two other tasters. And we talk about color, the aromas, the body, how things interplay. That's what you do as a taster. And that's what I'm going to teach you. And what I hope you take away from this is a better understanding of wine. But even more important, I want you to understand what's in that glass, what went behind it, who made it, where it came from, and why it's so good. Also, in this class, we're going to meet some amazing wine makers, people that have been making wines in their family for 600 years. We're going to visit one of the most iconic vineyards in the world, the place in Chianti Classico where they make Tignanello and Solaia. And we're going to be with Albiera Antinori, the owner. And then, finally, we're going to taste vintages of Tignanello. One of my biggest hopes in this class is that you're going to walk away and go to your wine shop, and you're going to talk the talk with the wine merchant. With the guy on the floor, you're going to feel confident about making that great buy for a great bottle of wine. But at the same time, again, great wine doesn't have to cost a lot of money. You know, people often ask me, what should I invest in to learn about wine? The first thing you've got to do is invest in a corkscrew. And after that, you've got to open bottles, and you've got to drink a lot of wine, preferably with friends and family. I'm James Suckling, and this is my MasterClass.

About the Instructor

Called one of the “world’s most powerful wine critics,” James Suckling has tasted more than 200,000 wines over the past 40 years. In his wine tasting MasterClass, James tours legendary Tuscan vineyards and teaches you to explore the stories, history, and people behind every bottle. Deepen your knowledge of the properties in each sip, cultivate your passion, and choose, order, and pair wines with confidence.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

James Suckling

Flavor, aroma, and structure—Learn from wine master James Suckling as he teaches you to appreciate the stories in every bottle.

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