The Corduroy CEO has given me an assignment.
Write me a blurb on the Len Evans Tutorial start to finish please.
Where do I even start?
Just write from the heart, she says, paint the picture so we can all know a little more about what makes something the ‘greatest wine school in the world’
So here goes.
Nervous. Excited. Nervous
In my books, to be given 5 days in your life to dedicate solely to wine tasting is an absolute gift. To do all of the above in the company of iconic Australian wine personnel and 11 other scholars is bloody amazing.
The week was laid out before us. Monday - Chardonnay. Tuesday - Cabernet. Wednesday - Riesling and Shiraz. Thursday - Pinot Noir.
Geez it was going to be tough.
At first it felt like stepping back into a classroom except instead of spelling, we had a lineup of 30 wines each morning which we had to blind taste, score and speak about. These wines were from anywhere in the world, but with a common theme - regarded the best of the best from their region.
Post the blind tasting each morning (and a quick bite to eat), we were guided through an in-depth masterclass of regions in the world. Places like Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne and of course our home country, Australia.
We tasted wine from outstanding producers, listened intently to regional experts, and soaked up the stories of how vineyards express, and producers craft. I was in my element.
While delivering an immersive masterclass, Tyson Stelzer - a champagne guru - said to us, ‘The Len Evans Prestige Champagne Masterclass, is the first thing I book into my diary every year because its so rare to drink such amazing wines in one single tasting!’ - and this guy drinks A LOT of Champagne.
‘We tasted wine from outstanding producers, listened intently to regional experts, and soaked up the stories of how vineyards express, and producers craft. I was in my element’
Sing for your supper.
After our daily masterclass, we’d get spiffy and sit down to a 5 course dinner. Wines were served blind and we were then tested to see if we could pick each wine’s origins including country, region, variety, vintage and producer. It was truly ‘singing for your supper’.
Tasting wines blind in this setting was incredible. We had bottles from around the world and across the decades including many highly sought after wines from the 1930’s, 40’s & 50’s.
And so… the day started with vino and ended with vino.
A gift for all your hard work.
Friday was explained to us as ‘a gift for all your hard work’ and it truly was.
We were gifted a masterclass from Domain De La Romanee-Conti, arguably the best producer of Pinot Noir in the world, and the rarest wines in the world. A true mind blowing experience with the line up costing upwards of 50k for 7 wines. Woahsers.
A once in a lifetime.
Throughout the Tutorial, it was hard to stop and ‘drink it all in’ because the week was jam packed, fast paced and consumption heavy. However, once it was all over and the dust settled, a sense of wonder and achievement set in. Not only had I been privileged enough to taste over 300 wines from around the world but I had experienced it alongside 11 other awesome individuals - those that I now know as friends.
To say the Len Evans Tutorial was awesome is an understatement.
It truly was a once in a lifetime experience at one of ‘the greatest schools in the world’.
Editorial by Eliza LeMessurier.