Practice your WSET Level 3 course at home with the perfect wines. 
NEWA has partnered with e-tasting.com to provide students with tasting sample kits. 
Finding the correct wines and buying bottles is not convenient.
This is why e-tasting.com developed for you the perfect tasting samples in terms of quantity and quality, thanks to their patented process for preserving the quality of the wine.
These tasting sets are carefully crafted in Napa, California, ensuring that each sample retains its authenticity. This makes the tasting experience easier during your online wine training.

Students currently enrolled in a NEWA course may request a discount code (also included in your welcome letter) in order to receive a 5% discount on your tasting kit orders.

The Level 1 kit has 10 select wine samples, each coordinated to the WSET Level 1 curriculum.
The Level 2 kit has 12 select wine samples, each also coordinated with the curriculum.
The Level 3 kit has 64 select samples, each coordinated to the WSET Level curriculum.

Students can also request WSET styled tasting notes by selecting the "tasting notes" option at check-out to obtain a description of each Vinotte in accordance with the WSET's systematic approach to tasting. These tasting notes will be sent by EMAIL after order confirmation.

Please note that it is not required to taste samples for the exam at Levels 1 and 2, as these are theory only examination qualifications. Level 3 does involve a tasting component to the exam and it is strongly encouraged that students taste the recommended list of samples in the WSET Specification in order to develop their tasting skills and practice their response material.

E-Tasting.com is solely responsible for the transaction and purchase of the kits as well as the shipping. You can verify delivery in your area on the respective product page. All inquiries and customer support issues should be directed to E-Tasting.com. NEWA is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged packages and samples.

I am working on a proper January update that I will post later this week, but I did want to get a quick note out about the Level 3 Wine Exam and Tasting workshop that I will be hosting on Saturday Jan 18 (this week).

We have a number of students that are currently signed up and attending, but the new space we are using for our classes and exam at Worldwide Wine & Spirits in Southington, Ct, has a fantastic classroom with tons of space. 

Whenever I do one of these quarterly workshops, I like to extend the opportunity to anyone interested in attending to join us. There typically is a charge for the course (I do have costs involved), but since I am already committed to hosting the event, I have added a sale price on to the normal $99 attendance fee, dropping it to $49.50. 

This means you get to hop on to a full day of tastings and discussion with some wine theory thrown in as well, all at the WSET Level 3 course material. So if you are currently studying or considering joining a level 3 course, or perhaps just simple like to taste wine in a more organized and professional setting, please consider joining me this Saturday.

We start at 9:30 am. Typically break for lunch at 12:30. Finish up by about 3 pm, or so.
Taste four flights of wine with presentation and group discussion and a breakdown of each wine in a blind tasting format, working through the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting.

For any questions please reach out to me.
To register for the workshop - please use this link:
Tasting Workshop and Exam Prep - WSET Level 3 Wine (18-Jan-2025)

Cheers, BMitch

Jose Andres is one of the most creative and inspiring people in the culinary world. With a background that includes El Bulli, he emigrated to the US 30 years ago, and has gone on to build a global restaurant empire rarely seen. I have eaten at several of his restaurants and the experience was at the top of my list. I cannot wait for it to happen again.

Additionally, he is a humanitarian through and through. The releaf organization he supports - World Central Kitchen - is as inspiring as it gets. Often being one of the first NGOs on the ground in disaster areas, they support people at their worst moment, virtually anywhere. Serving meals is one of the best means of support that people in a disaster can be helped with.

We are deep into Dry January in the short term, and an increasingly sober-curious world in a broader sense. Being in the drinks industry this causes me some obvious conflicts in how to approach things, but I have had to adapt and embrace this trend. I have long held to the system of drink less, but drink better in my personal life.

​Many of us in the industry feel as though we are truly a generation or two away from seeing this trend work it way through. It feels as though it be a long time before a plateau and a correction might occur. Don't get me wrong - people are still drinking - but what they drink and how often they drink has definitely shifted, especially among younger generations. Industry pros are learning and addressing this trend head-on. If you are not, then you are being left behind.

This week, Jose Andres posted a great note on Substack discussing current trends in the low and no alcohol drink conversation. I think it warrants a read. Here is the link...

A great cocktail program is intentional.

https://open.substack.com/pub/joseandres/p/what-does-drinking-look-like-in-2025?r=17ewma&utm_medium=ios 

We’re excited to be launching a major update to the WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits on 1 February 2025.

Any current student candidate in the Level 3 Spirits program will be sitting the current exam which correlates with the current material. Students sitting for a course after Feb 1, 2025, will receive updated material and will be automatically registered for the updated exam (Issue 3).

It is important to note that there is a transition period for the sitting of exams, and if you have a partial pass in either unit, you will have the opportunity to sit the Issue 1/2 (older) exam for a period up to Feb 2026. After this date all exams will be issued in the new material update and students would be advised to review the new material and/or retake the course if they were interested in sitting the new exam.

​As always, please reach out to NEWA via email if you have any questions.

WSET Digital Certificates
We are very pleased to announce that beginning this month, all level 1 and level 2 candidates that sit and successfully pass their respective exams, will receive digital certificates from WSET.

Why has WSET introduced digital certificates?
WSET has partnered with Accredible, a world leading digital certificate platform, to bring you a fast, sustainable, and secure alternative to paper certificates.

For more information about digital certificates, visit the WSET  FAQ section. 

What is a digital certificate?
A digital certificate is essentially an online version of a paper certificate that a candidate receives after they finish a WSET qualification. Instead of being a physical piece of paper, it’s a unique webpage that is linked to the candidate’s email address, which can easily be shared on social media, or to potential employers.

What are the key benefits of digital certificates?
Digital certificates will bring you a huge range of benefits, including the following:

• Candidates will receive their certificates much faster via email than by post
• Candidates will also be able to share their results more easily on social media, with employers, and will be able to print their own certificate
• Digital certificates are secure and easily verifiable online
• Digital certificates are better for the environment and more sustainable in the long-term

How do they work?
We’re keen to keep digital certificate management as easy, simple and low-effort as possible, and the process will be as follows:

1. All candidates should register for a WSET account at wsetglobal.com/registration/ - this allows WSET to verify their email address to ensure that we only provide digital certificates to verified candidates
2. After the exam WSET will send your APP the grade list, which will include a unique link for each candidate. The APP can then share the individual link with candidates who’ve passed, allowing them to claim their digital certificate immediately
3. WSET will automatically send an email to candidates who have not claimed their certificate five days after they release the grade list. (Note: This email can only be sent to candidates who have verified their email address – see Step 1).

Level 3 Candidates will continue to receive paper certificates for the near future.

Help & support
We understand that you’ll likely have lots of questions about digital certificates.
Please read our FAQs.
For more information, or if you would like to discuss the specific details of this system please email out to New England Wine Academy.

The new system will be implemented with December 2024 exam candidates.

How to understand the label info

Last night I enjoyed a bottle of Dolcetto d’Alba from Conterno Fantino - 2023 vintage. The second I popped the cork I knew I was going to like this wine - why?

Well, for a start it smelled great. The aroma jumped from eh bottle before I even poured it, and it was a dense smell that did not have the tell of being fermented quickly (a bit of banana due to cool ferment temps), or the annoying smell of fake wood that a lot of lower-priced wines can carry. Rather, this was a pure fruit aroma that was layered and flowed from the glass.

Now, it’s not a big wine or even a very intense wine. But the nose and the structure to follow on the palate aligned well, and it was simply pleasurable to drink. Soft tannins are balanced by a smooth but mouthwatering acidity. The finish was easy and medium-plus in length. This is what careful wine-making is all about.

So how does one read the label and understand that this is something a bit more than an average Dolcetto? Or even understand what Dolcetto from Monforte is? In the WSET/MW world we look to understand a wine by breaking it down to the WHY (does it taste like it does) through the WHAT, WHERE, HOW, WHEN, and WHO questions.

Kind of weird order but at the end of the day I want to understand why something tastes the way it does, so I need to know or discover what is made from, where it is grown/made, how it was made this way, when it was made and how long it took, and then lastly who made it. Producer is often the last piece as we are often tasting blind, but also we want to leave the influences of a producer’s reputation or name or price out until we have discovered what we can from the wine in the glass. So let’s take a closer look at this wine…

What is it made from?
Dolcetto is the simple answer. We know this because it is clearly stated on the label, Captain Obvious. But like many Italian labels, it tells more than just a grape used to make the wine, here. It is Dolcetto d’Alba or Dolcetto from Alba. A specific and special region in northwest Italy, really at the heart of the Piedmont wine region. The label also tells us that it is from Bricco Bastia, which happens to be a single vineyard in the Monforte section of the Alba region. Why is this important? well, because the soil and elevation in Monforte are a little different than the surrounding area and as such it has a certain reputation - and it’s a very good reputation. The area has soils with a bit more limestone mixed into the clay, and this helps to drive great acidity in the wine, as well as a broader or more pure fruit expression in the wines. Think of the best vineyards in Burgundy, for instance - clay and limestone = pure fruit expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Bricco Bastia is a vineyard in this area that was planted in the late 1980s and is farmed organically. It is a little higher in elevation (actually too high to grow Nebbiolo for Barolo, for instance), but this allows for a bit more cooler temps and a little more ability to dry the vines when conditions are wet. All good points and this takes care of the what and where questions.

When?
I consider when to mean two different things. First, it is the vintage or year the grapes were grown and harvested, and then secondly the time it took to make the wine. This covers the maceration process as well as the aging of the wine before release.

In this case, the wine is from the 2023 vintage, so basically brand new as a wine that is just over 1 year past vintage. 2023 in Piedmont - like almost every vintage these days, had its challenges for growers. Late spring and summer moisture from rains followed by some intense heat pushed the harvested back a bit into the fall, which always creates problems for growers and tests their stamina and backbones. But, this wine shines. Conterno Fantino is a producer that brings together two power-house family trees under one roof. Not going to dive into the background here as it is well documented on the web, but suffice it to say that there is a long history of historically relevant and top-quality wine production from this winery. The who here matters, and the result is a harvest picked when grapes are at their optimal. The result is a wine with generous, pure fruit, and a balanced structure that is fantastic to drink.

How?
The second part of when is the winemaking time frame that goes into this wine. This overlaps with the how, of course, but I think it is important to understand the influence of time as it relates to the winemaking process. No wood is involved here, and the wine is vinified in stainless then rested for a period of time in tank before blending and bottling. The vineyard is not big, and only about 1300 cases of this wine are produced annually, so there is a lot of hands-on attention to the winemaking. It shows. Quality grapes from a well-understood site, made in a low-intervention manner: this is what to look for. We are only about 1 year out from the completion of the winemaking process, which means that a bottle popped now will show all of the youth that Dolcetto can be known for.

Here is the best part, perhaps. All of this is for a bottle that retails for about $20. That is a price point most people consider to be a bargain, these days. I love this wine not only for its generous style and drinkability, but it is also a wine that will work with many food and cuisine styles. Some people are saying we are past the era of food and wine pairing because folks just eat and drink what they like without any real regard for understanding how it works. I say take a minute and understand a few basics, and your eating and drinking combos will actually be the better for it.

BUT, if you just want a good bottle that covers all the bases, then this $20 bottle of Dolcetto has the acid to pair with mid-weight dishes (ranging from seafood to pastas), the tannins to go with meats, the earthiness to go with savory dishes, and the fruit to just pound down while listening to some vinyl on a Friday night while eating some dark chocolate covered popcorn instead of a proper dinner.
​
And that is why it tastes so good.

Don't count your eggs until the grappa is served...
​
A supplier dropped off a bottle of grappa and a bag of delicious coffee this morning at my office. I’ve never bought from Marquee Selections, but Bryce has been running me down for about 4-5 years, now, and finally, we had a meeting a few weeks ago. (I know, I can be a pain in the ass sometimes for my suppliers, but I do get inundated with meeting requests and if I do not really buy from the distributor then it can often be a waste of time - so I defer a lot.)

With Bryce being from South Africa and repping a portfolio of ZA wines, I told him my South Africa arrival story.

I had the good fortune to travel to ZA in 2009. I was with another Bryce on that trip, and we were headed to a winery in Stellenbosch. I won’t say which one but it starts with Ken and ends with Forrester.
​
Traveling from Hartford through Amsterdam to our landing in Cape Town, we were a bit famished on arrival. However, it was in the evening and a Sunday, so we headed to our accommodations in Stellenbosch. Promises were made about a well-stocked kitchen when we arrived, so we were not too concerned.

Upon arrival, we met up with the proprietor who showed us to the guest house. Giving us a quick tour he said to help ourselves to anything we could find as he opened the fridge to see what was about. (The door to the fridge opened toward us and blocked our view but we were still confidently under the impression it was stocked.) The owner said to come on over to the main house for breakfast in the morning, as he walked out and left us for the night. We headed to the fridge to see what we could dine on.
On further inspection, we discovered the fridge contained one half-full bottle of Chenin blanc, a stick of butter, and half of a lime. Good times.

In the morning we headed to the main house at a reasonable hour and knocked. No answer. We waited. Knocked. Poked our heads around the windows. No one.

About 15 minutes on, we were about to leave when the owner came down the drive and welcomed us with a big smile and lots of good cheer. Says come on in and let’s get you some breakfast. We go into the beautiful Dutch Cape and get the quick tour that basically involves moving straight through the building and out the back to the big patio overlooking the vineyards and horses.

The owner continued the conversation with us from the kitchen where we heard what sounded like pots and pans and things knocking about, all of us assuming breakfast was on the way. After a bit, the owner came out with a huge tray that contained espresso for each as well as small glasses and a bottle of grappa. We had both. After a few minutes of chit-chat about our plans and whatnot, the owner bids us a great day and he will see us later that night for dinner. But where is the food?

No food. We had to go search out for something to eat. Just grappa and espresso since the airplane food nearly 24 hours prior. But the trip got better from there and we did have a great time with delicious food, often.

So my supplier listened and did a really nice thing by giving me a very generous gift. I emailed him back saying he won! We are currently booking a tasting and a dinner and I am considering what wines I can possibly use by the glass in my locations.
​
Persistence wrapped with generosity, and very good products. Who knew that these techniques could actually work?

To view the entire portfolio and website for Marquee Selections, click here.

​To learn more about Ken Forrester Wines in Stellenbosch, click here.

To learn more about Stumptown's delicious and often jidder inducing coffees, click here.

​To learn more about the fantastic grappi from Distilleria Gualco, click here.

​Seasonal Beer Basics
Happy Fall!
What a great time to enjoy some beer that reflects the season so well, not just in name but in style, too. But, if you take a look at the selections of beer available right now, there are some confusing terms and names on labels. What do they all mean?

Oktoberfest or Octoberfest? Festbier? Märzen? How do these beers differ?
Most common is the word “Oktoberfest” – with the K. Aside from making this look authentically German, isn’t this the official style served in Munich for the annual celebration? Sort of. The term is often associated with a particular beer, but as is often the case there are different interpretations of that style reflected in the bottle or glass. So where did the name come from?

A little Oktober History
Oktoberfest started with the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony in Munich, Bavaria in October 1810. They invited everyone – like the entire population, and they didn’t hold back. They partied for 16 days! It included plenty of drinking, eating, and entertainment, including some horse racing. It was so much fun they decided to do it again the next year. And then again, the next, and the next, and they still do it every year, to this day.

For much of that history, the style of beer served in Munich was Märzen, but more recently we have seen a shift in style toward a paler, crisper lager referred to as Festbier. But what is the difference? In actuality not a lot. The two styles are fairly closely related. First, both styles are lagers, which means they are generally light, but do have a bit of maltiness to them, and usually have great head retention (see the pictures of any beer stein and you will see the marquee head on the beers).

​Märzen and Festbier do have some distinct characteristics, though.
Here is a quick comparative breakdown of each style:
Märzen
Color: Usually amber to copper in color.
Flavor: Märzen has a rich, malty flavor with toasty and caramel notes. It tends to be fuller-bodied and has a moderate sweetness.
ABV: Ranges from 5.0% to 6.5%.
Traditionally brewed in March (hence the name "Märzen") and lagered (think cold storage) until the fall, it was designed to last through the summer months when brewing was not possible due to warm temperatures.

Festbier
Color: Generally lighter than Märzen, with more of a pale golden hue.
Flavor: Festbier is characterized by a crisp, clean taste with a more pronounced hop bitterness compared to Märzen. It has a lighter body and is often described as refreshing. Perhaps a little closer to a Pilsner (but it’s not officially a Pilsner).
ABV: Typically ranges from 5.8% to 6.3%.
Festbier is a newer style that started to emerge in the 1990s, and has become the official beer of Oktoberfest since the early 2000s, often replacing Märzen as the primary beer served throughout the festival.
So how do you choose?
For those looking for the classic richness and traditional beer style: If you prefer a fuller-bodied beer with malty sweetness and a historical connection to Oktoberfest, Märzen might be the better choice.
For for those looking for the more modern, refreshing and crisp beer style: If you enjoy lighter, crisper beers with a more pronounced hop character, Festbier could be the preferred style.

OK, so what about “Octoberfest”?
American brewers are known for following traditional brewing styles, but not really. They will take a beer formula and riff on it until they have crafted something that probably can fit into the category but is unique to their tastes and their interpretation of the original beer. This is what makes American home- and commercial-craft brewers so well regarded in the global beer community.

They also need to name these beers, and so we are endlessly impressed with the terms and names that are used to refer to the thousands of beers made across the US. This philosophy extends to the actual beer style, as well, and there is often a bending of the traditional classification names to appeal to this process. The most common producer that uses the term “Octoberfest” is probably Sam Adams, and is used to describe their hearty and smooth interpretation of the October lager beer style. While I am sure there may be others out there – although this may be a promotional angle on Sam’s part - you might be hard-pressed to find another label using the “C” rather than the ”K” in the Oktoberfest beer. But either way, we get the point.

​Why are these beers so good this time of year?
The answer is in the air and in the glass. The Märzen style is a bit maltier and more robust than the cleaner, crisp styles often enjoyed in warmer months. This fits perfectly with the changing season and cooler temps. We just want something more mouth-filling and sweeter this time of year. It also fits with fall/harvest foods and flavorings. As we turn from crisp summer veggies to more root and late-season garden produce, the fuller style of the Märzen is perfect as a pairing.

So whether you are enjoying a classic German Oktoberfest, whether it’s a Marzen or Festbier, such as (Spaten, Paulaner, Weihenstephaner, or Hacker-Pschorr), or you prefer any of the many American interpretations of the style (Sierra Nevada, Von Trapp, Zero Gravity – just to name a couple), you can be assured of a friendly, smooth style of beer that will warm you on a cool fall evening, but not weigh you down. That is where the pretzels and wurst come in!
 
Pröst!