A new year is a great opportunity to gain new knowledge. The idea of a clean slate can be very appealing. Just as appealing is an enjoyable glass of wine on a winter evening.
For many years, the beginning of the year has been a time to learn a little while sipping a little at signature events throughout the region. The Boston Wine Expo was known far and wide for its quality of wines poured and no less than an education offered for the price of a ticket each year.
It is in that spirit that the Coast Guard House is presenting its second annual Wine Boot Camp series at the seaside landmark restaurant in Narragansett. The name of the wine tasting series may imply some intensity, but it promises to be a most pleasant experience and a valuable one, particularly if someone is planning travel during the upcoming year.
The wines of Italy are in focus. The series is directed by Elisa Wybraniec, wine director at the Coast Guard House and a certified master sommelier. She is also a Wine Spirits Educational Trust educator at Johnson & Wales University.
The boot camp offers four sessions, each covering a different region of Italy. Learning about Italian wines is like learning to play an instrument and starting with piano. Once you learn to play it, you can probably play about anything else. A knowledge of Italian wines enables one to be able to figure out just about any wine that’s made anywhere else on the planet. The series covers four areas: Franciacorta on Jan. 21, Trentino-Alto Adige on Feb. 4, Barolo & Barbaresco on Feb. 18, and Bolgheri on March 3.
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CERTIFIED EXPERTS: Britney LaBelle, left, an instructor and wine educator at the Coast Guard House in Narragansett, and Wine Director Elisa Wybraniec, who will lead a wine tasting boot camp series at the restaurant from Jan. 21 through March 3, stand in front of wine certifications of restaurant staffers.
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“We are touching on some areas that are lesser known, or I should say lesser traveled, with our boot camp and that was purposeful,” Wybraniec said.
Lake Iseo is a popular tourist destination in northern Italy. It is also home to one of the best sparkling wine regions outside of Champagne, France. The Italian version of Champagne comes from there. The wine cannot be referred to as such by law, and the education begins. The grapes are the same varietals, chardonnay and pinot meunier, with differences in the palate such as more acidity, or tartness, and more ripeness.
Most of Italy is dominated by red wines, but the far reaches to the north such as Trentino and Alto Adige provide the conditions for quality white wine production. The Austrian and Slovenian influences appear in some of the winemaking, as well as their regional foods, as it is not uncommon to see and hear more German in Alto Adige than Italian. The Nebbiolo grape is the hallmark of these two wine regions.
Education takes on aspects beyond what is in the bottle, as Wybraniec says it’s important to note how they’re combating climate change there.
“I was there in October of 2022, and they have days now that get up to 85 or 90 degrees [Fahrenheit] for a consistent basis, which is unusual,” she said.
The knowledge expands further to some unusual wine pairings. In addition to the tour of Italy, the Coast Guard House is presenting a Dessert Discovery Series called A Journey of Chocolate and Wine, which began on Jan. 18. Pairings include a non-vintage Cleto Chiarli “Organic” Lambrusco from Modena, Italy, with a chocolate almond crostini, whipped goat cheese, cassis reduction, Matunuck micro greens and honeycomb; a Burgess “Contadina” cabernet sauvignon from the Napa Valley in California with a milk bombe, cinnamon hazelnut mousse, fluff, sage shortbread and roasted hazelnuts; and a local entry making an appearance with a Newport Vineyards and Winery LLC ice wine paired with a cannoli with Meyer lemon filling, bitter chocolate dip and pistachio dust.
In addition to bringing Rhode Islanders to the beach in the winter, the name of the game is to introduce some wines that may not be on everyone’s list.
Seats for any of the series may be reserved by contacting the Coast Guard House and may also be found on Open Table.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, is heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
