Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.08.2015, Qupperneq 65

Sushi Samba
Þingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel 568 6600 • sushisamba.is
Our kitchen is open
17.00–23.00 sun.–thu.
17.00–24.00 fri.–sat.
Amazing
7 course menu
A unique Icelandic Feast
Starts with a shot of the Icelandic
national spirit “Brennivín“
Puffin
Smoked puffin with blueberries,
croutons, goat cheese, beetroot
Minke whale
Date purée, wakame and teriaky
Arctic charr
“Torched“ arctic charr with parsnip
purée, fennel, dill mayo
Lobster
Lobster cigar with chorizo, dates, chili jam
Reindeer
Reindeer slider with blue cheese, portobello,
steamed bun
Free range icelandic lamb
Lamb with coriander, pickled red cabbage,
fennel, butternut squash purée, chimichurri
And to end on a high note ...
Icelandic Skyr
Skyr panna cotta with raspberry sorbet, white
chocolate crumble, passion foam, dulche de leche
7.590 kr.

FOOD
FOR THE SOUL
we smelled the dry wine and identified its
ingredients, rolled it across our tongues
several times and, finally, spat it out or
swallowed it. I chose to swallow. In fact, I
continued swallowing as we went through
all the different wines on the curriculum,
while somehow miraculously keeping a
straight face.
Jóhann kept scrolling through his en-
gaging presentation, filling us up with in-
formation and more and more wine. And
more wine.
We went from champagne, to white
wines, to red wines, always repeating the
same wine tasting procedures we were
taught at the beginning. We were all cap-
tivated by our own professionalism, and
gracefully raised our glasses in a toast to
ourselves. How charming.
I was well into my fifth glass of wine
when I felt my face flush with heat and
redness, my hand felt sloppy when writ-
ing in my journal and I started stammer-
ing when asking questions. I somehow
managed to regain self-control just as the
wine took me over for good. This is likely
thanks to my cunning tactic of foregoing
my swallowing ways in lieu of spitting out
the subsequent subjects—it was the only
way out for me. But most of the students
weren’t there as journalists and slowly
but surely the Wine School’s generosity
started working against the school’s pur-
ported pedagogy, the class slowly growing
loud, drunk and unfocused, as Icelanders
getting their drink on are wont to.
Lesson learned
At the Wine School, we not only learned
the procedure of tasting the wine, but
also the lesson also touched upon history,
philosophy and ideology. It was quite an
in-depth course that truly enlightened
me. Today, I can confidently impress my
friends by delivering fancy-sounding
words like “terroir” and refer to certain
type of grapes in casual conversation.
Jóhann certainly seems to know every-
thing there is to know about wine, and,
like the best teachers, employed that
knowledge to not only educate, but to en-
tertain.
Not to mention: I learned what the
whole deal with tasting the wine at a res-
taurant is all about. The idea isn’t to see if
you “like” the wine you ordered—rather
you are being given a chance to deter-
mine whether it might be damaged or not.
Most people will certainly be able to tell
if the wine is faulty. If you just don’t like
the taste, don’t send the waiter to fetch
you another vintage. Rather, learn how to
choose your wine in advance.
Go to Wine School!
Wine School is for:
Anyone wanting to expand
their knowledge of wine, by
drinking copious amounts of
the stuff.
What’s interesting
about Wine School?
It’s hands-on. You learn about
the most popular wines, their
grapes, regions, the process
of making wine and how to
properly taste it.
What to expect
from Wine School?
Knowledge and confidence, as
your lips rest on the edge of
a wineglass.
How much do
tuition fees run you?
5,900 ISK
Where to find it:
www.gestastofa.is should
provide the information you
need. Vínskólinn offer courses
in English—an easy way to
get in touch is by emailing
jarthrudur.asmundsdottir@
olgerdin.is