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Wine tasting proves positive learning experience enjoyable |
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
by ALISON MEANEY
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Drinking at 2 p.m. never felt so classy. However, I’m not talking about a Mountaineer football pre-game party, but a wine tasting in Asheville last weekend.
Centrally located around Pritcherd Park on Patton Avenue, the Weinhaus can be a tempting place.
Aside from its wide open doors, the sign out front that reads “Paint the town red,” and the collection of unusual beer and wine displayed in the window, they give alcohol away for free.
On some days, anyway.
 The Weinhaus offers wine tastings for free and on special occasions, and co-hosts wine dinners with Asheville restaurants. Photo by Alison Meaney
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Every third Saturday of the month, the Weinhaus offers free wine tasting with a different theme each time.
This weekend they featured sparkling wine, which will be followed by
March’s Spanish red wine, and April’s Argentinean Malbec tasting.
John Mallet worked at the tasting this weekend and explained in detail the champagne he served me.
I was thrilled he didn’t judge me by my limited knowledge, which doesn’t extend much past Franzia and Wild Irish Rose.
Mallet learned his wealth of wine knowledge from being immersed in the family business.
The Weinhaus was founded 30 years ago in 1977, named in honor of the
time Dave Mallet, the store’s founder, spent stationed in Austria.
Weinhaus is German for “wine house,” and to this day, the store employs only a handful of people outside of the family circle.
Mallet said, because the Weinhaus has been a part of the Asheville
community for so long, most of the clientele are middle-aged.
As a result, the Weinhaus schedules high-class wine tastings in addition to what is offered in the store every month.
Mallet said sometimes “college kids are minorities” at these tastings,
but “dinners are really nice and a good way to impress a date.”
He explained the featured restaurant would collaborate with the Weinhaus.
 John Mallet offers his knowledge of wine at a tasting in his family’s Asheville-based store, the Weinhaus. Photo by Alison Meaney
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They plan a four or five course dinner, with a different glass of wine chosen to complement the taste for each course.
Appalachian students should reserve these tastings for special occasions as the price ranges from $45 to $75 per person.
Mallet insists it’s worth it, however, and recommends the Weinhaus’
next tasting at Ophelia’s, one of Asheville’s newest restaurants.
Wine tasting is a great opportunity to get a crash-course on wine,
including which wines complement various foods, various wine
terminology, and also where to buy the featured bottles.
Students who are looking for more local opportunities can find tasting in the Boone area.
Tastings do not seem to be as well coordinated as they are in
Asheville, so wine lovers will either need to plan last minute or get
lucky and unexpectedly happen upon one.
Douglas B. May, professor of Appalachian’s specialty class
“Understanding and Appreciating Wine,” instructs his students to slow
down and pay attention during a wine tasting.
May recommends tasting wine in a specific sequence - specifically
trying white wine before red wine, light wines before heavy ones, dry
wines before sweet ones, and simple wines before more complex or richly
flavored wines.
Wine tastings are offered from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and the
first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at
Peabody’s Wine and Beer.
Students can also visit Erick’s Cheese and Wine from 1 to 5 p.m. on
Saturdays, and Harris Teeter from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every third
Thursday.
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