UCI offers online wine course

Submitted by Dannielle Padilla

The University of California, Irvine Extension has announced a new course titled, “A Sommelier’s Secret Guide to the Wine List: Wine and Food Galore,” which will be offered online from May 18 to June 14, 2009. The course is an elective in UC Irvine Extension’s renowned Specialized Studies Program in Wine.

“This course takes the anxiety out of ordering wine from a restaurant list or buying wine in a store, which can be very challenging given the huge number of wine choices, both domestic and imported,” explains course instructor and seasoned wine specialist Marlene Rossman. “The online format is also very unique because it allows participants to learn about wine in the comfort of home.”

Students taking this course will benefit from learning how to identify wine value and choose the right wine to pair with any cuisine. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

Understand how wines are named

Become familiar with the world’s most famous grapes

Taste wine the way professionals do

Read a wine list with confidence and expertise

Understand domestic wine labels

Pronounce the names of imported wines

Discuss wine with a waiter or sommelier

Demystify the wine ordering and buying process

Pair food and wine successfully

Marlene Rossman, who holds master’s degrees in both linguistics and business administration, currently covers wine and food for Chef Magazine and writes on wine for California Sommelier, Sommelier Journal and other publication. As president of Manhattan Wine Seminars, Rossman also conducts wine seminars and events for corporations and individuals. Rossman formerly served as the sommelier at Laguna Culinary Arts in Laguna Beach, Calif., and currently teaches in UC Irvine Extension’s Specialized Studies Program in Wine.

UC Irvine Extension will offer “A Sommelier’s Secret Guide to the Wine List: Wine and Food Galore” fully online, catering to busy professionals, wine connoisseurs, and average consumers who simply want to expand their knowledge of wine. The Specialized Studies Program offers practical content-based and comprehensive educational courses for consumers and professionals.

To learn more about UC Irvine’s elective course for the Specialized Studies Program, please visit www.extension.uci.edu. To register for the course, call 949-824-6335 or e-mail [email protected].

ABOUT UC IRVINE, EXTENSION:

As the continuing education arm of UCI, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies via online curriculum as well as through on campus classes. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. For more information, please visit www.extension.uci.edu.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.