All Cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is Cognac! 

Cognac is the original brandy and still to this day the most revered and historical distillate of wine. A legendary spirit with centuries of history.  First and foremost, Cognac is a place.  It is a town in the Charente department of southwestern France, and the distinct climate, soils, culture, and history of the surrounding area are expressed in the spirit that’s made here. Today, both within the fine-dining, alcoholic beverage industries and pop-culture, Cognac has regained all of its past glory.  The styles, versatility, applications and personalities of Cognac are immensely varied and its production method considered one of the most artisanal and crafted in the world of spirits.

In this 3.5-hour course, we will cover Cognac’s history, production, and ways to enjoy it, including food pairing.   We will taste a selection of 9 (nine) Cognacs that will illustrate a variety of terroirs, styles, tiers and aging categories. 

The course will also feature a series of small bites to showcase pairing applications.

The instructor, Irina Ponomarenko, is an official Cognac Educator, certified by the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac).

Presenter:  Irina Ponomarenko, Certified Cognac Educator, WSA/NASA Silver-Pin Certified Sommelier, Master Taster.

Participants will receive a ‘certificate of attendance’ issued by the North American Sommelier Association in conjunction with the BNIC (official Cognac Bureau).

Irina recently returned from Cognac where she was among a select group of educators training for the Cognac Educator Certificate.  Irina has been an instructor with the North American Sommelier Association since 2013.  She teaches a variety of courses, including the spirits module of the Certified Sommelier curriculum. 

WHEN: MAY 26th - 1:00pm to 4:30pm

WHERE: RITA HOUSE - 5971 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

COST: $179.00 NON-NASA MEMBERS (all inclusive) / $149 CURRENT NASA MEMBERS

*membership status will be checked for discount

Salento is called the “heel” of Italy because of its shape: it is a beautiful strip of land, bathed by two seas, the Ionian and the Adriatic, a door straight on the Balkans, Greece and south-eastern Europe. Land of border, where everything ends and at the same time can start. By destiny and by agricultural vocation, Salento is also the mother land of the wine civilization, because, as the local farmers say, wine in Salento is as old as man and his agriculture. 

Altitude and composition of the soils, exposure and solar irradiation, thermal excursions and ventilation, these characteristics make of Salento an incredible diverse wine region, expressing several microclimatic and terroirs, changing within a few kilometres. 

The cultivation of the vine, in these areas, located at the center of the Mediterranean, has crossed all the ages, from the Greeks to the Romans, to go to Longobards and Byzantines, and then Normans, Angevins and Aragonese, and reach up to our time with stunning, powerful wines.

Reds can be the intense and brooding made of Negramaro, or brilliant and vibrant, made of Primitivo or the indigenous Susumaniello. Because Puglia and Salento are, above all, lands of reds and rosés (rosati), sometimes even big and unforgettable ones. Wines with character. 

Today Salento shows the potential to become a symbol of the new frontier of Southern Italian quality enology. Two facts plays a big role in the quality viticulture of this area: ancient tradition in the cultivation of the vine on one side and perfect climatic conditions on the other. And then again, the proximity of the sea, an added value able to mitigate the effects of a hot climate and to give the wines that complexity (and elegance) that makes them truly unique, expressive of a truly unique “Salento identity”. 

Come and discover more about this underrated wine region. Meet in person some of Salento producers!

WHEN: 2018 OCTOBER 24th (Wednesday) - 11:00AM to 1:30pm

WHERE: THE WINEHOUSE (upstairs) - 2311 Cotner Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90064

COST: FREE FOR TRADE (credentials required) or CURRENT NASA MEMBERS - Renew your membership here !

With Consorzio of Salice Salentino producers and Laura Donadoni (guest speaker)

Please RSPV, limited number of seats available !

For questions or queries : info@nasommelier.com

WHEN: Saturday April 21st, 2018 - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (one hour break for lunch).

WHERE: RITA HOUSE - 5971 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

EXAM: TBA

COST: $350.00 (all inclusive) / $315 for current NASA MEMBERS

* REFUND & CANCELLATION POLICY : *Enrollment fee non-refundable upon cancellation by student - course credit will be retained for future use.

"Brothers come quickly ! I'm drinking stars !" was the exclamation uttered by father Dom Pérignon as he discovered bubbles in wine. A fluke, a coincidence of nature dictated by the extreme Northern location of the Champagne region causing stuck fermentations due to cold. He spent the rest of his life, 47 years, battling, studying, exploring, analyzing and comprehending this phenomenon. 

In 1668 Dom Pierre Pérignon, a monk, is nominated curator of the abbey of Hautvillers. He was in charge of  managing the supplies of this holy place and set out to improve and renovate the vineyards and wine the abbey produced. As a Benedictine monk, he followed the rule of St.Benedict...the strive for perfection and discipline; he left nothing to chance. He set out to make "the best wine in the world" and single handedly set the base for what Champagne and any 'classical method' sparkling wine is today. He invented techniques, methodologies and concepts that revolutionized wine forever.

A cuvée de prestige is a proprietary Champagne label that is considered to be the top of a producer's range. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Laurent-Perrier's Grand Siècle, Dom Pérignon, Duval-Leroy's Cuvée Femme, Armand de Brignac Gold Brut, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Ruinart's 'Dom Ruinart' & KRUG's 'Grande Cuvée'.

The original prestige cuvée was indeed Moët & Chandon's 'Dom Pérignon', launched in 1936 with the 1921 vintage. Until then, Champagne houses produced different cuvées of varying quality, but a top-of-the-range wine produced to the highest standards (and priced accordingly) was a new idea. In the last three decades of the 20th century, most Champagne houses followed these with their own prestige cuvées, often named after notable people with a link to that producer and presented in non-standard bottle shapes (following Dom Pérignon's lead with its 18th-century revival design). These are indeed...the BEST SPARKLING WINES IN THE WORLD.

AS A TOAST TO THE ENDING 2017 VINTAGE, JOIN US FOR AN IN DEPTH GUIDED TASTING & SEMINAR ON DOM PERIGNON's NEW VINTAGES AND OLDER RESERVE GEMS, STILL AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET. THE PRESENTATION & TASTING WILL INCLUDE RARITIES RARELY PULLED AND WILL COMPARE AND ANALYZE THE VINTAGE CHARACTERISTICS AS WELL AS A TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF 'PLENITUDES':

- Dom Pérignon Blanc vintage 2009, Dom Pérignon Rose' Vintage 2005, Dom Pérignon P2 vintage 2000, Dom Pérignon Rose' P2 vintage 1995, + a surprise old vintage (direct comparison to P2).

SEMINAR PRESENTED AND LED BY DOM PERIGNON US BRAND AMBASSADOR & NASA PRESIDENT, DIEGO MERAVIGLIA.

WHEN: 2017 DECEMBER 18th (Monday) - 11:00AM to 1:30pm

WHERE: WALLY's BEVERLY HILLS (private room) - 447 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

COST: FREE FOR WINE TRADE ONLY - credentials required & checked*

* Please note: This complimentary seminar and tasting is reserved for industry only (buyers or press) ! Capacity is set to 24 and credentials will be checked prior to confirmation of seat.

RSVP BY CLICKING BELOW / For questions or queries : info@nasommelier.com

Silver-Pin Sommelier NASA/WSA EXAM

WHERE: THE WINEHOUSE, 2311 Cotner ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90064

WHEN: 2017 AUGUST 6th (10:00am) - 3.5 hours

COST: $150 (if retake)

REGISTER HERE

* Please show up on time, exam will start without you. Bring drinking water, 3 different color pens, pencil, ruler. Do not smoke, drink coffee, chew gum or mints or wear perfume or creams during these 2 days. Dress code is smart formal.

WHERE: THE WINEHOUSE, 2311 Cotner ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90064

WHEN: JAN 21 - 9:00am to 4:00pm (with break)

EXAM:  April 30th (10:00am - 2.5 hours)

COST: $295 (without material) / $350 (with material : book, tasting card, color chart)

The 'MASTER TASTER CERTIFICATE' is a compulsory pre-requisite for anyone wishing to teach for the North America Sommelier Association or achieve 'Gold-Pin' status.

Course material provided/required : AIS WINE-TASTING BOOK + TASTING NOTEBOOK + TASTING CARD + COLOR CHART.

Pre-requisites : AIS/NASA/WSA Certified Sommelier or WSET diploma equivalentorAdvanced Sommelier Court of Master Sommeliers equivalent.

*Written examination will consist of 5 blind tastings with NASA methodology and terminology (blank paper) + 50 written questions (30 multiple choice, 10 open).

**Oral examination will consist of 3 blind technical tastings with NASA methodology and terminology.

For inquiries, please contact us at : info@nasommelier.com

WHEN
Sunday JUNE 19th, 10:30am - 1:30pm

FEES
$75 non-members / $50 members / FREE for buyers (credentials required)

Italy is one of the most Volcanically active countries in the world, especially in Europe. It is also the only country that produces wines on active live volcanoes. Volcanoes have moulded, shaped and influenced the civilizations of this ancient country since the dawn of ages. One must only think of the Vesuvius or Etna as an example. Wine is no less influenced by these majestic and intimidating children of geology and Italy boasts some of the best and most peculiar vineyards in the world, cultivated on highly particular volcanic soils on the very slopes of these fire breathing mountains. These are some of the most unique wines in the world.

Join us for 3 hours of specific geology, terroir, ancient culture and wine tasting of some of the most representative volcanic wines, as we do a flight across the enological products of man, nature and fire to understand how Italian volcanic wines have set a new unparalleled standard of personality. Learn the difference between BASIC VOLCANIC and ACIDIC VOLCANIC, how the wines behave from these 2 terroirs and what are the appellations built through history on these pseudo-lunar environments. Led by NASA Vice President & Director Of Education, Diego Meraviglia.