Trockenbeerenauslese

My favorite word from the wines class I took during my last semester at Cornell is trockenbeerenauslese. It’s the designation for the wine with the highest sugar content in Germany, where classifications are based on ripeness of the grapes when they’re picked. Yes, Cornell has a class all about wine, and yes, we drank in class.

It wasn’t all drinking all the time though. We learned about classification systems, labeling laws, signature varietals, characteristics of wine, and how to open a bottle of champagne, among other things. Most weeks we sampled an average of six wines by region, except for champagne/sparkling wine, which was saved for the last week of class. It was a good fitting end to the last class of my undergrad career.

Having sampled several dozen wines over the course of the semester, I learned about my taste in wine without having to commit to buying any full bottle of wine. Because I don’t like spending real money. Here non-real money mostly refers to BRB’s*, which are purchased with real money, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, I found out that I dislike the majority of red wines. Interestingly, the red wines I liked best were from Washington and Oregon. Their taste is said to be between the minerality of French reds and the fruitiness of California reds, both of which I didn’t care for. I also didn’t like the aged red wine that we tried. (Port cherry sundaes, however, are delicious.)

So it’s white wines for me. Thanks specifically to this wines class, Cornell produces a disproportionate number of Riesling drinkers. Riesling is the signature German white varietal, and is mainly known for being too sweet for “serious wine connoisseurs,” but it’s also grown in the Finger Lakes, and dry or sweet, I like it. I also enjoy Gewurztraminer (another German varietal and another great word) and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, known for its notes of gooseberry. Chardonnay is also more than drinkable, though its main taste is usually white wine. (Except it’s apparently the thing to complain about over-oaked California Chardonnays.)

And that’s the story of how I came to drink white wine and become a Riesling fan. Send wine to Actually, the grocery store closest to me has a wine and beer license so I can just go buy my own wine. Actually, I don’t drink that much; I have part of a pack of beer that’s been sitting in my closet untouched for about a month now. Actually, my beer drinking is a whole other story. Maybe some other time.

*Cornell meal plan money that can be spent at a la carte dining places around campus. People like to try and pay for anything they can in BRB’s. Examples: Collegetown restaurants, groceries, parking tickets, Amazon orders.