From 2004 through 2005, I attended classes at The Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at the Metropolitan College of Boston University. It was my good fortune and pleasure to have Bill Nesto as one of my instructors. Bill is one of only two Masters of Wine in New England. Not only a wine instructor, he’s a wine journalist and experienced wine-world traveler. Bill was always informative, always fun – his classes were memorable. After finishing my wine studies, I occasionally like to attend The Metropolitan College ” Seminars in Food and Wine” that are presented by Bill. I’ve taken seminars in champagne, Austrian wines and Bill’s newest passion, the terroir of chocolates. So I was eager to hear Bill’s take on “The New Rioja” last Monday evening. Accompanied by fellow blogger Rodney, we went back to school.
By way of welcome, Bill began the evening with a tasting of two Rioja whites – an old school selection and one that demonstrated the new Rioja style that has emerged in recent years. Though both wines were the same blend of grapes – 90% viura and 10% malvasia – the contrast between them was remarkable. The traditionally made wine was overwhelmed by the oak it had aged in; the new style was fresh – with a pleasantly herbaceous and floral nose. This tasting set the stage for the remainder of the evening – the traditional long ageing in oak versus a much shorter time in oak after fermentation. Bill, who had visited Rioja last April, gave a comprehensive overview of wine making there.
Part lecture, part travelogue, he began with a discussion of Spanish wine regulations, information on reading a Spanish wine label, climate, history, geography and soil types; he then went on to discuss cuisine, restaurants and points of interest in the region. All of this was accompanied by slides of various vineyards, winemakers and wineries. The seminar concluded with Bill leading a tasting of six red wines, all tempranillo- dominant - three traditonally vinted and three typifying the modern style of ”high expression”. When the class concluded, the audience applauded. As usual, Bill had done an excellent job. Our return to school had definitely been worthwhile.
