Students participate in the 1876 and WSET course conducted last Sunday.

This week as promised, I will be continuing on the beverage trend with a peep into my wine world as a member of Jamaica's premier wine club, 1876, a mouth- watering watermelon recipe and last but not least, my summer beer cocktail created especially for Red Stripe, the Great Jamaican Lager.

Last Sunday, I was a participant in the inaugural class taking the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) foundation course in wines in Jamaica hosted by 1876 Wines. A UK-based programme, it is offered in over 60 countries and is targeted at service industry professionals and wine enthusiasts. I am a member of 1876 Wines, and the founders are Paul and Cynthia Hanworth and Adrian Garforth, a Master of Wine and WSET lecturer.

1876 has over 200 members across the island of various backgrounds, cultures and professional ilk. What bonds us together is our love and appreciation for good wine. Many of us in the club have longed to be certified in wines and Paul, Cynthia and Adrian made it happen much to our delight.
Adrian is one of only 200-plus Masters of Wine in the world, so we are extremely fortunate to have him as our teacher in this fascinating, yet complex field. Our course lasted from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and concluded with an exam. My classmates were a fun bunch and team players throughout. We learned about the history of wine, the types of grapes, regions, we tasted different styles by themselves, then again with foods amongst other interesting tasks.

1876 plans to host another one-day foundation course in September, and is also working on bringing the intermediate and advanced levels to Jamaica if there are enough interested participants. You do not have to be a member to take this course. If you love wine and want to know more, I encourage you to take this course. Contact Paul Hanworth at wineguy@cwjamaica.com for further details.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World