GMIT College of Tourism and Arts students get wine masterclass

Irish Examiner journalist Lesley Williams, in association with the Spanish Embassy, delivered the Albariño Masterclass which explored some of the world's most famous white wines, to students in GMIT’s College of Tourism & Arts (CTA) recently.

Denomination of Origin (DO) Rías Baixas is renowned for the Albariño grape, an indigenous variety that produces some of the world’s best known white wines. Located in the Galicia region of north-western Spain, which bears a strong resemblance to the green fields and rocky coasts of Ireland, Albariño is the flagship of this coastal region. In Rías Baixas’ unique climate, Albariño shares the same mineral-rich soils and cool climate as the world’s other renowned white wine-producing regions, including France’s Loire Valley, New Zealand and the Rhine region of Germany. 

The Albariño lecture was the second Masterclass delivered to GMIT Tourism & Arts students this semester. In February, world renowned sherry expert Javier Hidalgo delivered a Sherry Masterclass to first year students on the Bachelor of Business in Retail Management and third year students on the Bachelor of Business in Bar & Restaurant Management, and staff, at the Galway (Dublin Road) campus.

GMIT’s own wine and sherry expert, lecturer Elizabeth Fox, also took part in organising this event.  She was recently awarded a special prize for the highest result in the 'World Certified Sherry Educators Programme' in Spain. Elizabeth is now one of 25 professionals from around the world who qualify as a Sherry Certified Educator for 2015.

Speaking about the recent event, Elizabeth Fox says: “the Masterclass on Albariño was very educational for the students, who enjoyed the opportunity of tasting a selection of Albariño from the same region from various producers. All of the wines showed different characteristics however like family members; they also had a familiar flavour profile, showcasing the Albariño grape variety’’.

For further information about GMIT Tourism and Arts programmes:

http://www.gmit.ie/college-tourism-and-arts/college-tourism-arts