Spring 2026 OLLI Digital Catalog

INTRODUCTION TO WINE (SE322)

SE – Special Event

This class covers how wine is made, how to identify what you like and don’t like, and most importantly, how to find wine bargains and not overpay for wines that are just blah. After the opening illustrated lecture, we proceed through several pairings of different wines so that you can see, smell and taste the differences and, importantly, determine whether you like some more than others.  Different people will like different wines, there is no wrong answer – what you like is what you like.  The goal is to help you identify what you like, and perhaps why, so that you can optimize choosing a wine on a menu or buying a bottle.

Each participant will be asked to bring three wine glasses. Stemmed wine glasses work best. The glasses need to be the same so that you can identify differences due to the wine versus differences influenced by the glasses.

In addition to the wine, water and bread-as-palate-cleanser will be supplied.

There is a materials fee of $25, payable to the instructor on the class meeting day.

This offering meets for a total of 1 session(s).

INSTRUCTOR: Larry Meinert

MEINERT, LARRY — Former university professor, exploration geologist and published author with more than 40 years of winemaking (and tasting!) experience.

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