Wine 101: Entry-Level to Exquisite

**UPDATE as of 11/3. We will also welcome Scherrer Winery Owner and Winemaker Fred Scherrer as an instructor.** The two hour class will feature 6 wines (3 whites and 3 reds) at 3 distinct price points. You'll taste each in a blind test and guess the price point of each wine. Damien will then reveal the price and talk through just what goes into a bottle of wine. You'll then be able to re-taste and enjoy your favorites. Ticket pricing includes wine tastings, paired with fromage + antipasti platters, and sales tax.
About the instructors: Damien Casten began his career in food and wine fifteen years ago when he traded a corporate job in the south of France for kitchens at the New England Culinary Institute. Upon graduation he returned to France for two years, earning a spot on the brigade at Chef Alain Senderens’ Michelin three-starred Lucas Carton. Away from the restaurant, he immersed himself in wine, apprenticing at one of Paris best independent wine shops, Les Ultra Vins, and visiting producers in wine regions across France on a regular basis. After a few years working as a professional chef, Damien’s passion for wine won out. On returning to the United States after six years in France, Damien co-founded Candid Wines, an importer and distributor of small production, organic and biodynamic wines in Chicago in 2005. Today, after ten years in business, Candid Wines can be found on the lists of most every major restaurant in Chicago as well as on the shelves of the area’s best retailers. While rooted in France thanks to Damien’s experience there, the company has grown to include selections from regions across Germany, Italy, Austria, New Zealand, and the US, as well as a few remarkable selections from Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia. 
Scherrer Winery Owner and Winemaker Fred Scherrer first made wine at home as a teenager from Zinfandel vines planted by his grandfather in 1912. He then went on to complete his technical training at U.C. Davis in 1983 and has spent the past 30 years learning where, when, how and if to apply science to the art of winemaking; learning how profoundly human intervention affects the personality of wine made from a given site. By late 1997, Scherrer Winery established its own simple facility near Sebastopol and expanded production to include cooler-climate varieties from Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast vineyards.
"It was good to see veteran winemaker and vineyard owner Fred Scherrer on my last trip to California. (The wines) were all impressive wines and to his credit he has kept a realistic pricing model - so, consumers take note." Robert Parker, October 2016

FAQs
Can I buy a group tickets? 28 tickets are available. Buy as many as you like! 
Is there parking or transit nearby? We have a parking lot in front of our building you may use and there is plenty of street parking after 5pm. There is a bike rack outside our gate. The Grand Avenue bus is nearby as well as Divvy stations. 
What if I have tickets but I can’t attend the event?No refunds will be given for cancellations. If you cannot make it, you are welcome to transfer your tickets to someone else. Please contact us with the new guest’s information at least 24 hours prior to the event or tell the guests using your reservation to give your name at arrival. 
Must be 21 to attend this event.