Congress 2021 blog edition
By Claire Kroening, University of Alberta human geography alumna and communications professional
On May 29, Congress 2021 toasted Edwardian era wines in a virtual happy hour! John Gerum of Unique Tasting Adventures led attendees through a menu straight out of history in a virtual wine experience hosted by the University of Alberta. Gerum led the tasting on site at Rutherford House, a historic gem on the University of Alberta campus.
At the turn of the century, Rutherford House would have hosted many lavish dinner parties. These dinners would have been three to four hours long, with 20 or so guests enjoying 10+ courses. An sample menu from an Edwardian era dinner was provided to session attendees. It listed 14 courses: the oyster course, the soup, the fish, the entree, the roast, the asparagus, the game, the salad, the pudding, the ice cream, the cheese, the fruit, the cafe noir and lastly, a final course of liqueurs and cigars.
With such a long dinner menu, of course, comes an equally extensive wine list. Burgundies, bordeauxs, rieslings, champagnes, sherries and ports were the libations of choice for the Edwardian upper class.
The tasting
People tasted three Edwardian favourites: a dry German Mosel Riesling, a French Burgundy Pinot Noir and a French Red Bordeaux Superior. Gerum walked through the origins of each wine, how to read the bottle label and flavour notes to pay attention to.
The event was classy with a little whimsy, and was certainly informative. Attendees had a fun break from the regular scheduling of Congress 2021.
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Missed today’s happy hour?
John will present another virtual wine tasting, “Modern Wine Styles,” on Monday at 3 - 4 p.m. MT. Come prepared! Visit the session info page to download the tasting handout.