Get corkin’ at Brooklyn Winery.
Credit: Provided
From chianti to cab sav, pilsners to porters, if you’re looking to bone up on your boozy knowledge this fall, there are plenty of classes for doing so.
The Brooklyn Winery (who knew we even had one?), located in the heart of Williamsburg, prides itself on offering a harvest season in the heart of NYC. Every Wednesday, they do reservation-only tours, followed by a tasting of all 13 of their bottled wines (many of which are new). Visiting now means you can actually see the wine being made. Total newbie to the wine world? Join instructor Tess Rose (which sounds like a wine name, if you ask us) for a blind tasting on Oct. 21 ($35). Find more infohere.
Sommelier Michael Madrigale leads Saturday afternoon tastings of six to eight wines, paired with small plates, at Bar Boulud. The next one’s coming up Nov. 2, and it’s actually a Champagne tasting with Emmanuel Lassaigne, the owner and winemaker at Champaigne Jacque Lassaigne. The restaurant’s famous charcuterie is on the food lineup. The tasting, $75, starts at 3 p.m. Buy tickets here: https://events.danielboulud.com/.
In September, Top Hops Beer Shopbegan an education series for beer beginners and pros. While you’re there, browse the store’s more than 700 brands (both American craft and import). Classes are limited to 10 people, so only about 9 will make you feel bad if you don’t know the difference between a pils and a lager. Kidding! (By the way, if you don’t know the difference, this Saturday’s Exploration of Beer Styles might help.)
On Oct. 21, there’s a “wild and crazy beers” lesson where you’ll taste a bunch of sour beers. On the 28th, it’s a night of barreled beers, and on Nov. 11, there’s a guide to off-flavors. Just why does your beer taste like popcorn? Come and find out — you’ll also get to do a blind tasting. All classes are $50, 6:30-8 p.m.
Laura Maniec opened Corkbuzz to much fanfare, and she keeps the love going by offering wine, beer and food classes on the regular. There are intro-level classes — like Oct. 14’s Burgundy Basics ($75) and Oct. 19’s Beer Basics ($50) — plus more advanced food and pairing classes. We’re hoping for a spot at Oct. 25’s Cheese & Wine 101 ($50).
New spirits and wine retail shop Whiskey & Wine Off 69 will begin Home Mixology Mondays on Oct. 28. First up is the art of shaking and stirring with two female mixologists — Franky Marshall of The Dead Rabbit and Jane Elkins of Grace. Future seminars — all free and open to the public! — include Thanksgiving drinks (with Dale DeGroff, aka King Cocktail) and punch for the holidays (with Jim Meehan of PDT).
