Vinécole is the new wine experience of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France - offering wine courses and tastings throughout the year. Located at the impressive Domaine Gayda near Limoux, Vinécole is a wine school for all. Run by Master of Wine Matthew Stubbs, Vinécole offers wine courses and wine tastings both for people looking for a brief introduction to wine, as well as those studying for professional qualifications. Vinécole offers the following wine events and education: VIEW MORE FILMS AT THE VINECOLE YOUTUBE CHANNEL > A beautiful and professional venue Imagine wine tasting with stunning views of Languedoc's vineyards and the Pyrénées mountains in the south of France. Imagine learning about wine at a working wine domaine. Imagine lounging by our pool with fellow-wine tasters or classmates - debating the merits of organic winemaking... You won't find a more beautiful, professional and relaxed venue to learn about wine. Vinécole at the Domaine de Gayda offers a gourmet restaurant with terrasse, outdoor barbecue area overlooking the vines, four luxury gites (should you need accommodation), and newly-built, state-of-the-art teaching and seminar facilities.

Click on our navigation bar above to find out more about our wine , and in the Languedoc region of the south of France, as well as ways in which your business can organise wine-themed at Vinécole.To simplify the concept of wine sweetness, you can compare wines on this chart. Although not all wine conform to the generalizations within, you can still learn a great deal about how to find wine in the sweetness range you prefer. Some wines are so dry that they scrape the moisture from your tongue and make the inside of your mouth stick to your teeth. On the other end of the spectrum, some wines are so sweet that they stick to the sides of your glass like motor oil. Why Some Dry Wines Taste More Dry Than Others Wine writers have put words to the concept of dryness for years and food scientists have actually studied why some wines taste more dry than others. Both groups claim that aroma, tannin and acidity are key components to why a wine tastes ‘dry.’ You Might Be More Sensitive to Tannin Than Your Friends

What’s interesting about tannin is that a recent study demonstrated that some people have higher sensitivities to tannin based on the amount of proteins naturally present in their saliva. People with more proteins in their saliva do not feel the drying effect of tannin as much as people with less. Another interesting fact is that the taste of tannin is reduced when paired with salty and fatty foods. Acidity Tricks Our Perception of SweetnessA wine that has higher acidity will taste more ‘dry’ than a wine with less acidity. Several producers of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will leave a couple of grams of residual sugar in their wines because the acidity is so high. Our Noses Prime Our Sense of Taste Our sense of smell also greatly affects our perception of sweetness. As you can imagine, a wine that smells sweeter will also taste sweeter. Wine varieties are often referred to as ‘Aromatic’ because of their sweet floral aromas. A few examples of this are Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Muscat.

Do you like this post? Suggestions for slightly sweet red wine? I've recently become interested in wines, however at this point I don't know much about them. I'm interested in a slightly sweet red wine. best wines to drink in winterI've heard Riesling is good . . . best christmas wine casesI like to nibble on cheese with my wine before dinner or just to sip in the late evening. good red wine new zealandI don't know the price ranges, but I'm looking for an inexpensive bottle, even thogh I know my selections won't be as good. top wines of 1990Something around $20 or less would be fine. names for wine baskets

I'm really looking forward to the suggesions and leariing from it. Want to stay up to date with this post? Sign Up Now › Log In or Sign Up to comment Log In or Sign Up to Comment › See All Latest Discussions ›top us wine competitions Best solo dining spots in Manhattan and Brooklyn?the best wine under 10 dollars Group Dining - Ft. Lauderdalebest fruit for red wine Weekly Menu Plans – May 2017 First Halfbest wine that's cheapPosted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on April 15 2014 at 07:53 A re-run of an old post following a visit to Alsace, updating my recommendations on the best pairings for the region's dry and off-dry white wines.

What struck me particularly was how key sweetness is to the success of a match - something that will often be more marked in a younger wine than an older vintage. We concentrated mainly on traditional Alsace cuisine because I always prefer to eat local when I visit a wine region and to be honest I don’t think the French do Asian that well. But Alsace’s affinity with spicy cuisines is well catalogued and definitely the way to go with off-dry wines. I’m also a fan of Alsace's drier styles with Japanese food and although I haven’t yet explored their potential I’m convinced they would go well with many Scandinavian dishes. Incidentally there’s a new sweetness indicator which many producers are now putting on their back label which are a helpful clue to the style the wine is made in. Top pairings for Alsace RieslingLet’s start with my favourite Alsace wine (yes, I do like Gewürztraminer but I find Riesling much more flexible, especially the drier styles that are increasingly popular)In AlsaceCreamy sauces, especially with fish like zander, plaice or sole (dry)Choucroute (dry/off-dry)Other good food matchesScandinavian seafood dishes and smorgasbord (dry/offdry)Japanese seafood dishes especially sashimi and sushi (dry)Other raw seafood such as fish tartares

, carpaccios and ceviches (dry)Oysters given an Asian twist (dry)Fresh crab (dry)Seafood cocktail (off-dry)Seafood salads (dry)Smoked fish, especially smoked salmon and eel (dry)Fish terrines (dry)Simply cooked fish such as seabass (dry)Onion tart (dry)Mature goats cheese (dry, aged)Roast pork belly (dry, aged, grand cru)Korma curries (off-dry)Dry spiced chicken dishes like chicken tikka and tandoori chicken (off-dry) - or similar preparations with seafood (dry/off-dry)Dim sum (dry)Lighter Thai dishes such as crab cakes, salads and pad thai noodles (off dry)Vietnamese seafood dishes (dry)Mexican seafood dishes like fish tacos (dry)Dishes with citrus flavours (dry/offdry)Dishes that include apples (dry) Top pairings for Riesling blendsOne of the styles I was most impressed by on the trip, particularly Domaine Pfister's Cuvée 8 (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürz and Muscat) and Marc Kreydenweiss's Clos du Val d'Eleon a 50/50 blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris. By and large I'd follow the pairing suggestions for dry to off-dry Riesling rather than those for Pinot Gris or Gewürz.

Top pairings for Alsace Pinot GrisPossibly Alsace’s trickiest grape variety as it’s hard to call whether it’s going to be dry or rich and verging on sweet. The locals seem to have a much higher tolerance for pairing off-dry Pinot Gris with dishes like salmon and veal with which we’d instinctively reach for a drier white or a red. These are the styles I personally enjoy most with Thai foodIn AlsaceWhite meats such as chicken or veal with creamy sauces (especially with mushrooms) and fresh noodles (dry)Hot pâté en croûte (dry/off-dry - a brilliant match we had with an old Pinot Gris at Leon Boesch)Foie gras (off-dry)Veal kidneys in cream sauce (dry)Other good matchesAny slightly smokey foods or sauces (dry/off-dry)Mushrooms on toast (dry)Richer fish like monkfish and salmon (dry)Scallops (dry)Gravadlax (dry/off-dry)Game pâtés (dry/off-dry)Rich game birds such as pigeon and guinea fowl (dry/offdry)Spicy chicken and pork dishes such as Chicken tikka masala (off-dry)Thai curries with coconut (off-dry)Warmer, richer meat curries such as rogan josh (off-dry)

Top pairings for Alsace GewurztraminerAlmost always associated with Chinese and Indian food but it goes better with some dishes than others. (I wouldn’t drink Gewürz with dim sum for example) Again it can taste quite sweet, even if it’s not a Vendange Tardive.In AlsaceFoie gras (off-dry)Munster cheese (dry/off-dry)Other good matchesOther washed rind cheeses such as Epoisses, Maroilles and Stinking Bishop (dry/off-dry)Lobster with ginger (dry)Hotter Szechuan and Korean dishes (off-dry)Laksa and other spicy dishes with coconut milk and lemongrass (dry/off-dry)Roast duck or duck curries (dry/off-dry)Roast goose (dry/off-dry)Apple crumble or streudel cakes with cinnamon (works with off-dry Gewürz, doesn’t have to be late-harvest)Desserts with mango or other tropical fruits (off-dry) Best pairings for Alsace Pinot BlancAn underrated and versatile wine which unfortunately tends to be far more expensive here than it does in Alsace. (So do other wines but you notice it particularly with Pinot Blanc.)

That said it’s a reliable and affordable wine on restaurant wine lists - a good all-rounder.In AlsaceOnion tartTarte flambée - pizza-like tart with onions and sour creamQuiche Lorraine - and other quichesHam and cheese saladsOther good matchesThe sort of dishes with which you’d pair a light unoaked Chardonnay or a smooth dry Italian white like Soave. So risottos and pastas with creamy sauces or spring vegetables work well.Simple seafood dishesFish pie, fishcakesOmelettes, frittatasTartiflette (cheese and potato bake from Savoie) Best pairings for Alsace SylvanerMany of the dishes that go with a dry to off-dry riesling will go with a dry Sylvaner though it generally doesn’t have Riesling’s purity and minerality. Again it’s regarded as an inexpensive wine in Alsace though the best examples e.g. from Ostertag really show the grape’s potential.In AlsaceA winstub (wine bar) wine drunk with light snacks such as salads, cold meats and tarte flambée (dry)Choucroute (dry)Other good matchesYou could drink it with similar dishes to a dry Riesling.