Nations On The Rise: South Africa & Chile With Michael Franz

This tasting class is not merely intended to dismiss longstanding preconceptions that these two countries are just sources for solid, cheap juice, but rather to demonstrate that they are now making some of the world’s most delicious and distinctive wines, both red and white. Michael Franz's objective isn’t to display the value of Chilean and South African wines but rather their outstanding quality—even though it remains true that both countries offer terrific value at every price level. It is very tough for wine producing nations to raise their stature once pegged by consumers, but that’s exactly how both countries are trending, thanks to plantings of vineyards in cooler zones near their respective oceans and development of artisanal wineries dissociated from the more industrial producers that formerly dominated exports. The reputations of the two nations lag behind their current level of accomplishment so there are deals to be had, however, this will be a tasting focused on sheer excellence. This class is taught online on Zoom with Michael Franz, hosted by Capital Wine School. $85 per person. Wine samples available for pickup by appointment on Friday, July 23rd between 12:00 and 5:00 p.m. The class will be online July 24th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information or to register, please click here.