Let's Taste Minerality - with Paolo Elisei

What do we really mean when we describe a wine as mineral?

Flint, chalk, wet stone, salinity and volcanic rock are all familiar terms in the language of wine tasting. But what is one actually identifying in the glass? Can we taste the geology of a vineyard, and how much of what we perceive as minerality can be attributed to grape variety, climate, acidity and winemaking?

Join wine educator Paolo Elisei at Cardwell Cellars for an engaging exploration of one of wine's most intriguing and contested sensory characteristics.

Through a guided tasting of six carefully selected white wines, Paolo will examine how minerality is perceived, described and interpreted across some of Europe's most distinctive wine regions.

Our tasting will explore wines from Etna in Sicily, Chablis, Pouilly-Fumé in the Loire Valley, Savoie in the French Alps, Somló in Hungary, and Santorini in Greece. From volcanic landscapes and limestone-rich vineyards to Alpine slopes and Mediterranean islands, each wine offers an opportunity to investigate the relationship between geology, growing conditions, winemaking and sensory perception.

The masterclass will combine guided tasting, discussion and comparative analysis, with plenty of opportunity to share observations, challenge assumptions and develop a more precise vocabulary for describing wine.

Whether you're an enthusiastic wine drinker or an experienced professional, this is an opportunity to explore a subject that remains central to contemporary discussions of terroir and wine appreciation.