The Spice Companion

Any time is the right time to brush up on your chocolate skills! In this part hands-on and part demonstration-based class, students will review the basics of chocolate tempering and formulating chocolate centers, with an array of fillings and confections for use in truffles, molded chocolates, and candies. It features recipes you’ll want to make year-round – and will make you everybody’s favorite holiday house guest!

Come join NYC’s longest running wine course. Over its 45+ year history, thousands of students, food and wine professionals and the wine interested public alike, have participated in this program. This six-session course, crafted by ICE director of wine studies Richard Vayda, uses grape varietals, as well as winemaking regions, as the keys to understanding the full wine spectrum. You will receive a thorough introduction to winemaking, tasting, laws and labeling as you learn about wine components and taste some of the world’s most celebrated wines. In these six sessions, you will sample up to 60 wines! Session 1: Winemaking and Wine-Tasting Basics. Session 2: France: The Wines and Grapes of Burgundy and Bordeaux. Session 3: The Major Wines and Grape Varieties of Italy. Session 4: Spanish and other Warm-Climate Wines. Session 5: Wine Tour of the US West Coast. Session 6: A Tour of Sparkling Wine from Around the World.

California is the top wine-producing state by far --- and when most people think of California wines, Sonoma and Napa immediately come to mind. But in reality, only about 10 percent of the state's wine comes from these two celebrated regions. This evening’s tasting, hosted by ICE’s resident sommelier, Richard Vayda, pits the two regions' best varietal wines head-to-head in a no-holds-barred face-off! Come help judge the best (or at least your favorites) from these two renowned areas. Of course, some delicious California cheeses will accompany the evening's eight wines!

This four-session continuation of the Wine Essentials series offers in-depth exploration and tastings of some of the world’s more interesting and unusual wines. Studies will include an expanded array of lesser-known varietals and wines, as each class concentrates on one wine category and delves into the wines’ production, characteristics and uses, including discussions of food and wine pairing. Session 1: Advanced White Wines: Side-by-Side Tasting of Interesting Aromatic and Fruity Wines. Session 2: Advanced Red Wines: In-Depth Comparison of Selected Wines From Old and New World Regions. Session 3: Off-Dry to Sweet: Exploration of Elegant Rieslings to Cru Classé Sauternes. Session 4: Fortified and Aromatized Wines With Wine Service: Fascinating Wines, From Vermouths and Sherries to Madeiras and Portos.