Deductive Beverage Tasting

          We live in an age where we have a wealth of information at the touch of our fingers, but sometimes it is still fun to play detective and chase down clues.  To capture this sense of adventure, Campus House hosted its first deductive beverage tasting on Thursday, February 20.  This event went far beyond the average beer or wine tasting – it was a game of sleuth for adult beverage aficionados, including red and white wines, sparkling wines, a selection of beers, and for those interested in a slightly stronger libation, a variety of whiskies. 

White wine display

          This event was the first opportunity for the spring semester’s Campus House student staff to strut their stuff and organize an event from start to finish.  The idea was both to test guests’ spirit, wine, and beer knowledge, and to give students the opportunity to get a taste of how such an event comes together.  The event was a team effort that included students Britton Buczkowski and Emily McCabe as the designated managers running the show, along with student concierge Tarrah Devito.

          A small group of students collaborated with Campus House staff to choose the wine, beer, and spirit selections.  They then paired them with appropriate dishes, and orchestrated an evening where the drink analyses flowed seamlessly into a relaxing opportunity for guests to nibble, sip, socialize, and relax. 

Red wine table 

          Each type of beverage showcased three choices, cleverly concealed in brown paper bags.  At each separate tasting table, guests were given clues or tips about the glasses they tasted, but ultimately, they had to rely on their palates to assign the correct name to each beverage selection.  Like any good game, guests received a scorecard on which to write their deductions -- naming enough of the right beverages meant winning prizes. 

Ivena shows off her mystery red

          The red wine table featured three different, yet well known varietals:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc – chosen by student Ivena Ford.  Her information cards gave hints as to which wine was which, but guests had to rely on color, aroma, viscosity, and most of all, taste to pair the wines correctly with their numbers.

          The white wines were all from the grape varietal Sauvignon Blanc, but differed dramatically because of their geographic origins.  Campus House student Courtney Anderson poured selections from New Zealand, California, and France.  Guests tried the wines and attempted to deduce the home regions based on the characteristics listed on the information cards.

Taylor offering sparkling wines.

          The sparkling wines were all styles based on the classic French champagne.  Since champagne is generally the standard against which all other sparkling wines are judged, student Taylor Schmelzer also offered American sparkling and Italian prosecco to see how they stacked up against the French version.

Troy talking up the whiskey selections

Marisa explains the brew choices

          Whiskeys come in many forms and student Troy Benson chose to stump guests with tastes of Irish whiskey, Scotch, Kentucky bourbon.  These classic whiskey styles each have distinct characteristics that set them apart from the others and spirit drinkers were no doubt up for the challenge of identifying them.   

          The beers offered for tasting and deducing were all of the lager variety -- a cold brewed beer style very familiar to even modest beer drinkers.  Student Marisa Baker gave out tastes of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Stella Artois, and Grolsch to see how many guests could pair the right beer to their tasting portion.

          

          Campus House also offered some tasty bites to pair with each type of beverage.  The lineup included lamb and arugula sandwiches on ciabatta for the red wines, smoked salmon and marscapone on cucumbers for the white wines, fried oysters for the sparkling wines, chicken wings with beer, and bacon brownies for the whiskeys.

Smoked salmon canapes

          We hope to see you at future events at Campus House, where you will experience world-class service.

Emily and Britton, student managers of the tasting