Each class is $50 per person – $40 for our wine club family – and includes an interesting lecture and slideshow, a lively discussion of the topic at hand, and a question and answer session where no topic is too esoteric. Each session will include at least a glass of wine in the form of tastes where the class dictates, or a glass of your choosing for those classes not specifically about wine. Classes are held from 7 pm to 9 pm on our Lanai if the weather is nice, or inside our heated/air-conditioned Tasting Room if not. We understand the issues with traffic and will delay a bit for you if you’re running late.
— Click here to purchase tickets to the current class
February – “Small Scale Grape Growing”
— Learn about planting and caring for a small vineyard. The origins of winegrapes, how to design a vineyard, planting considerations, and of course the costs and returns of growing your own grapes.
March – “Wines of the Rhone Valley”
— Our passion and our inspiration. Join us for a tour of the Rhone valley through the wines and varietals of the homeland. We’ll learn a bit of history, a bit of politics, and a lot about the wines themselves. We’ll taste three wines from France and their counterparts from here in Santa Clara Valley.
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April – “The Blind Six Experience”
— Ever wonder how a sommelier can take a glance, sniff, and taste of wine and tell you what it is and where and when it was made? It’s not that difficult and we can get you started on learning how. Taste six wines in “double-blind” (you have no idea what the wines are) alongside an experience winemaker/taster and learn the secrets.
May – No class scheduled
June – “The History of Wine in America”
— For the first 100 years of life on the new continent of America, colonists tried to replicate the wines they were familiar with from their homelands without success. After years of struggle they were only able to make inferior wines from native grapes. It wasn’t until Religion and Gold brought us north and west to California that they were able to produce a quality wine. Learn what the problems were, and how they were solved. Find out how California became a world leader in wine production in less than 100 years.
July – “Like Little Edens, a History of Wine in the Santa Clara Valley”
— Santa Clara Valley was the first premium wine region in california and still boasts four wineries over 100 years old. Learn about the role of wine in our local history from the time of the Missionaries to modern day.
August – “Prohibition”
— From 1920 to 1933 America was a dry country – learn whose great idea that was how 3/4 of the land decided to stop drinking. We’ll look at the root causes, the public frenzy that allowed the laws to be passed, and the lingering results of a dry decade. In honor of Prohibition we’ll be drinking grape juice… just kidding, wine will be served.
September – “Thinking About Making Wine? Wine Business for Beginners”
— We know, everybody wants to make wine. We can’t blame you, it’s the worlds best job. But before you jump in, learn a little from our experience. We can give you a true insight into the legal issues, the financials, and of course the difficulties in selling your wine. We’ve gone through the pain so you don’t have to.
October – “Boutique Winemaking”
— Join us during harvest to get a glimpse into how we make our wines here at La Vie Dansante Wines. We’ll be in the winery building actually touching fermenting wine while we talk about all of the winemaking steps from Fermentation, through Aging, and finally Bottling.
November – “One Grape, Five Expressions; Syrah Around the World”
— We love us some Syrah, in fact we consider ourselves a “Syrah House” in that Syrah has a place in all of our signature wines. But Syrah can come in a bunch of different styles. Learn with us as we sample versions from all around the world. We’ll learn a bit about what makes each special including differences in climate and winemaking techniques.
December – No Class Scheduled
— Click here to purchase tickets to the current class