Small Bites

This in from Ned Towle:

Westchester Wine School Announces
Its Most Ambitious New Schedule of Wine Appreciation and Certification Courses

Beginning September the Westchester Wine School offers its most ambitious new schedule of wine appreciation and wine certification courses as it starts its fifth year of wine education at the Hilton Rye Town in Rye Brook, New York,

New this year are the Pairing Wine and Food course featuring French and Italian classic food and wine matches; the FAB FOUR Whites, covering the four great international white grape varieties Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling; and three one-evening classes including The Best of the Rhone’s Fine Premium Wines, The Best of the USA’s Fine Premium Wines, and an exciting re-creation of the famous wine tasting, 1976 Judgment of Paris – Redux.

Evening classes begin September with the FAB FOUR – Whites: The Four Great White International Grape Varieties and the Certified Specialist of Wine courses. Starting October 6th is the World of Wine – Your Best Introduction to Wine, for Beginners, Intermediates & Enthusiasts.

Following these courses are,
Pairing Wine and Food: Tasting, Enjoying, and Learning about      Food and Wine Matches
The Best of the Rhone’s Fine Premium Wines
1976 Judgment of Paris – Redux
Wines of Italy
Wines of France
The FAB FOUR Reds: The Four Great Red International Grape      Varieties
The Best of the USA’s Fine Premium Wines

Classes emphasize each individual’s experience of the wines. In a friendly, professional, and interactive atmosphere, participants are encouraged to discover their own preferences and enhance their appreciation and enjoyment of wine. Each class includes tasting 8 to 10 wines. Participants receive maps, charts, and descriptions that will aid in learning and retaining the important class information.

Italian Wines Class (100% graduated with flying colors)

Ned Towle of Hastings on Hudson, New York, founder and Director of The Westchester Wine School, was recently inducted into the Confrerie de la Dive Bouteille of Gaillac, an ancient, artisan, wine brotherhood in the Southwest of France.

Ned is inducted into the Confrerie de la Dive Bouteille of Gaillac

Ned states that, “Rather than travel into Manhattan to attend a wine school, Westchester residents can now attend a quality wine school in their own neighborhood, in an elegant setting, and with outstanding course materials. Plus they can obtain all that at a more affordable price than Manhattan schools.”

Students who have attended Westchester Wine School classes have found the classes to be,
·        “Relaxed, pleasurable and full of information.”
·        “Very professional yet not intimidating.”
·        “Highly informative and presented in an interesting and fun format.”
·        “The course book is very well done. Thorough. I will revert back to it.”
·        “The course gave me the knowledge and confidence to choose wine to buy and to order at a restaurant.”

Towle, a Certified Wine Educator by the Society of Wine Educators, and a Certified Wine Judge by the American Wine Society, has been leading wine courses and tastings throughout the New York metropolitan area over the past four years.  Prior to that, he worked in the Manhattan wine retail business.

His first exposure to wine came at the age of 19 when he picked grapes in southern  France for a wine grower whose only means of transporting grapes…and grape pickers…was a wooden cart drawn by a donkey. More recently, he worked in many aspects of wine growing and wine making at Chateau de Mayragues in southwestern France. For the past three years Ned has led wine tastings in Paris, where the presence of his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, and his love of wine and French, all come together.  Ned is assisted by his wife, Linda, whose enthusiasm for people and wine creates just the right balance for presentations on the richness and harmony of wine. In addition to handling various Wine School responsibilities, Linda has a private psychotherapy practice in Manhattan and Hastings on Hudson.

In his former career, Ned held various positions at the New York City Transit Authority, including Chief Financial Officer and Assistant General Manager of Bus Operations.  A degree in divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 2003 nurtured his natural calling to the world of wine.

Ned and Linda Towle having fun and working hard serving wine at the
“Westchester Wine Experience” sponsored by the Pleasantville Rotary Club.

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