Scents & Sense Ability

Sunday, May 19th  -  9:30am to 12:30pm

Scents & Sense Ability

The Science and Physiology of Wine Tasting

A fun, practical and hands-on wine tasting course for wine enthusiasts looking to deepen their understanding of wine components and build their vocabulary of wine descriptors. We begin with the pattern of a typical wine tasting and the senses involved. Then we describe taste and touch, followed by exercises to identify the role of individual taste components. Class will taste the wine acids, fermentable sugars and tannins from skins, seeds and barrels.

Presented by David Bellows

Fee:  $ 110 / person - limited seats. Tickets are non-refundable.

David Bellows Bio:

David’s wine journey began in New York City in the 1980’s where he was the beverage director for Joseph Baum at Aurora Grille in Midtown Manhattan. A fantasy of becoming a winemaker led him back to university to pursue a BS in biochemistry. Along the way, he became distracted by the shiny toys in the laboratory and ended up earning a doctorate in molecular biology. He spent the next two decades as an academic scientist working with the brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In 2011, he decided to revisit his original plan and moved to the Willamette Valley to explore winemaking. After harvests at Rex Hill and an invaluable stint as Tom Fitzpatrick’s assistant at Alloro, he became winemaker at Vidon Vineyard in 2017. He remained on as winemaker when Vidon was sold in 2020 and became Compris Vineyard, finally retiring in 2023. In addition, he was an instructor in the wine studies program at Chemeketa Community College.