Crash Course on Wine Tasting

Posted in the thirsty traveler

Going to a wine country and only kind of know wine? Want to sound cool when you are traveling to these areas?

Not to worry, here is a crash course to wine tasting so that you can sound smart and possibly enjoy your experience more. This is only basic Wine Tasting 101, much more to add for in depth study of wine.

Wine Jargon

Varietal – the grape

Single Vineyard – the grape is coming from one vineyard

Vintage – year wine was made

Premier/Grand Crus – class for French wines

Reserve – limited quantity, “special wine”

Second label – wines that are ready to drink now instead of putting down for 15 years

Old World – wine that comes from grapes used in old vintages

New World – modern wines/blends

Red leaf – vine diseases resulting in removal

Breathe – red wines often need time to oxidize and open up for smoother flavors.

Tannins – makes wine taste dry. Wines with high tannins need time to breathe.

Fruit Forward – Fruity and jam-y flavors

Fruit bombs – full fruit flavors

“Wine” in different languages

Vin – French

Vino – Italian/Spanish

Vinho – Portuguese

Wein – German

Wyn – Afrikaans

Wines to put down for a while

Bordeaux, Brunellos, Borolo, some Cabernet Sauvignon, some Riojas, Cabernet Franc

White Wine:

Common White Wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chennin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Moscato, Riesling, bubblies

General flavors: acidic, metallic, buttery, sweet, dry

Notes: The more malolactic the wine, the butterier it will taste. Buttery wines are mostly found with New World Chardonnays. Head on over to Napa Valley to try some tasty buttery wines.

Wine Glass: White wine tends to come in more narrow glasses because they do not need to breathe.

Helpful hint for newbies: you do not need to swirl white wine before drinking it!

Red Wine:

Common Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Chianti, Tempernillo, Rioja, Barbera, Syrah, Zinfandel, Malbec

Red varietals with high tannin (AKA, extra swirl before trying to oxidize): Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere

General flavors and smells: fruity, dirty, earthy, spicy, liquorish, jam-y, syrupy, sweet, farm house, smoky, nutty

Notes: red wines vary from heavy to light. The darker the wine, the more likely it will need time to open up and breathe before drinking, the lighter the wine, the faster you can drink it. Lighter wine naturally means that it will be slightly sweeter, while darker wines will have much more intense flavors.

Easy drinking wines: Pinot Noir, Malbec, Barbera, Tempernillo

Heavy wines: Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Zinfandel, Syrah

Wine Glass: Red wines tend to come in much larger wine glasses. Often you will see red wines being served in large bowl-like glasses to allow for bolder wine flavors and aromas.

Helpful hint for newbies: These wines will need some swirling before drinking. Swirl, smell, swirl, smell, take a small sip, swirl, smell, swirl, take a larger sip. Make sure to eat a little cracker or anything provided between the different wine types to clear your pallet.

Now pinkies up and cheers!

How I studied abroad 4 times in Undergrad and twice in Grad School.

Posted in the study abroad student

How I studied abroad 4 times in Undergrad and twice in Grad School.

Locations:

Undergrad – Dublin, Ireland; Angers, France; Miskitia, Nicaragua

Grad – Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland.

I think one of the most common misconceptions with studying abroad is paying for it. So many people think they can’t do it because it costs too much. You are right, it is expensive, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be.

I did it. In fact, I did it 4 times in Undergrad and twice in Grad School. Yes, you will need to spend money. Yes, you can’t just decide last minute to do it. Yes, you may need to take out additional loans.

But let’s look at it this way – if you are taking out loans anyway for school, why not just apply them to study abroad. YES! Study Abroad! I said it. You can almost always apply loans to study abroad.

That might be an idealistic way to view it. So let’s approach it in a different way. If you are paying to go to school anyway, through whatever avenue that is, why not redirect your way of thinking into creative ways to pay for your study abroad? Let me give you an example.

I studied for two summers in Nicaragua during my undergrad between my Junior year and right after my senior year. My second summer, I received a Foreign Language Area Study (FLAS) grant that paid for my entire study abroad, and received an Office of Study Abroad grant, which paid for my flight to Nica. At the end of my 6 weeks there, I actually walked away with a little extra money – I was paid to travel.

Okay, let’s rewind a little. First things first – I absolutely knew how to get the most of my education. I graduated undergrad with two majors and two minors. My study abroad opportunities helped me gain an extra degree and an extra minor.

My undergrad study abroad travels.

I first went to Dublin, Ireland during a summer to do two internships. The wonderful part about this was, that not only did I get to study abroad, but I absolutely was able to put two internship opportunities on my resume.

The second study abroad was in Angers, France. I went to a language institute and was able to take 5 out of 10 classes for my BA. Talk about nipping a major massively in the bud. I also received hefty language grants through the French Department and elsewhere to fund a major part of this study abroad.

The final two were in Miskitia, Nicaragua – where I did linguistic research on the Miskitu indigenous tribe.

My Grad Study Abroad travels.

I have a Master of Arts in French Studies and spent 9 months in New York and 3 months in Paris. You can always look for degrees that are split between locations. There are so many schools in Europe that offer Masters programs that hop between 2 to 5 locations.

I also have a Master of Science in International Politics from Trinity College Dublin. I lived in Dublin, Ireland for a year and quickly fell in love. When you go to an international school, often you will have a grace period of staying in country after your education. For Ireland, you can stay for an entire year after you have studied there to look for work.

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I’ve done a lot, but let me tell you of some things I’ve learned along the way on how to do it even cheaper.

Scandinavia and Germany offer FREE schooling and often in English. I think if I had known this, I probably would have looked at going to school there. Canada/Australia/New Zealand also has some pretty sweet rates for Americans.
Instead of studying through school, you can always do HelpEx or Woof over a summer and all you need to pay for is your flight over to your destination.
Learning a language, going to a language institute, taking your language gen eds abroad is an easy way to justify the expense. Check out this USA Today blog about the benefits of knowing another language.
Sometimes, you will be able to find an alumni that will fully pay for your study abroad for less common locations.

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Now the way I did it cost me some money, yes. I’m not saying that it was all free, but I absolutely had help with scholarships and grants along the way. Planning it accordingly allowed me to double major, double minor, and double master. This was also several years ago right as studying abroad was becoming more accessible. Nowadays, there are so many options out there for you and so many ways you can go abroad for even cheaper! Check out my funding study abroad blog to see other helpful hints to go abroad.

I know you have more questions and I am more than happy to help in any way I can. Let me know your questions and let’s get you abroad!