Join us each month for an education your taste buds deserve. Your friends at the Bread Garden Market will take you on trips around the world each month, pairing our fine selection of wine with our equally exquisite selection of cheese. Stop by the bar to register, or send a note to mark@breadgardenmarket.com. Groups are welcome! Space is limited.
Bread Garden Market Presents!!
Wine and Cheese Classes – 2025
Classes are from 6-8 p.m.
Bread Garden Market Presents!!
Wine and Cheese Classes – 2025
Wine and Cheese Classes Are Here!!!
January 23rd – Thursday – 6-8pm – The Art of the Blend – $50/person
We’re doing some wonky things with this one – first we’ll explore the art of wine blending – the who, why, what, when, where of it all – and how it’s always been part of the winemaking process even in ancient times. We’ll go over common blending grapes and what regions they work in and why they work in those regions. We shall then try these grape varietals (in wine form of course) individually – and then a few where they are blended and see if we can determine the main characteristics of said blending grape. Lastly, you’ll take some of those single varietal wines and then make your own blend with them – and see if can produce something on par or better than the original. Of course, cheese wise, we’ll be focusing on blended milk cheeses but sadly you won’t be making your own cheese in the class – maybe in the future – the distant future
February 20th – Thursday – 6-8pm – The Wines of Portugal – and Why You Only Pass the Port Left
$50/person
Portugal is famed for their Port production, but they also make some incredible dry wines as well – many of which are becoming more available here in the U.S. – and tend to be very value driven. We’ll dive into some of the more important Portuguese wine making regions including the Douro (most famous and home of Port and some of the best red dry wines coming out of Portugal), Minho (more famously known as Vinho Verde), Alentejo, Lisboa, Setubal, Dao, Bairrada, and of course Madeira – why Portugal is a wine region to look forward to for an increasing amount of good wine coming into the U.S. in the future– and the production methods of 2 of the 3 great fortified wines – Port and Madeira.
March 20th – Thursday – 6-8pm – Burgundy vs. Bordeaux
$60/person
Famed wine writer Michael Broadbent was once asked by a novice wine drinker
“After all of your years in the wine industry have you ever mixed up a Burgundy with a Bordeaux?” His reply was “not since this morning” and while his reply was a little tongue and cheek, the later stated in an interview that it happens much more often than one thinks. When I read this 20-some-odd years ago I thought how can this man – one of the most knowledgeable in the biz that ever was confuse the two? They could not be more different – Bordeaux is Cabernet Sauvignon or Melot based and the vast majority of Burgundy is made from Pinot Noir. The styles of wines are literally on the opposite ends of the spectrum – or are they??? Dun, dun, dun!! They are unquestionably the most famous/well-known and prestigious wine regions in all of France – and are known and sought after by collector the world over. They certainly demand the highest pricing – and some of it justifiably so. How did these wine regions rise to such heights, and do they hold up to their vaunted reputation? Also how do wine drinkers/writers/professionals ever get the two confused? These and other questions will be answered in this month’s wine and cheese class.
April 17th – Thursday – 6-8pm – The Pacific Northwest – Washington and Oregon – A Deep Dive
$60/person
Sadly, I don’t think we’ve ever done a Pacific Northwest class, and if we did it was before the heights of Covid – and no one remembers the time before that anyway – there’s so much to explore here it’s hard to know where to begin and by rights each state should have its own class but we’ll do our best to give a good overview – Oregon, of course, is world renowned for their Pinot Noir’s – and rightfully so – Willamette Valley is firmly in place with places like Burgundy, Sonoma Coast, Santa Rita Hills, as the regional Apex for incredible Pinot’s. Of course, they make more than just Pinot – there are some wonderful Pinot Gris, excellent Chardonnay, and even some Syrah that does well out there. And then, of course, there’s Washington State – I personally love Washington wines – the array of varietals – and the masterful art of blending classic Bordeaux varietals is unparalleled – at least here in the U.S. In the history of winemaking in this country – Washington has always been seen as the little brother of California – in this class we’ll try to dispel that notion.
May 15th – Thursday – 6-8pm – End of Year Best In Show $60/person
We did this last year and had a really good time with it – Sort of our wine and cheese Oscars. Last year we had a hard time narrowing down the categories because there were so many great wines and cheeses that we tried, which meant more wine and cheese for everyone so there wasn’t too much complaining. We’ll try to do some fine tuning on this one – get a skosh more specific – but no promises. What was the best white we tried all year, best red under $20, wine that delivered most bang for the buck – and it’s just as hard narrowing down the cheese categories as well. As many of you know I have about 30 cheeses that are already my favorite ever – and with new producers becoming available to us every year – the list just keeps on growing. It’s our last class of the cycle – so it’s a little loose and a lot of fun.
Package deals –
Buy Three Classes at a time – receive 10% off Class Price
Buy Six Class Passes at once – receive 15% off Class Prices