ON THE GRAPEVINE; How you can get a taste for knowledge

FOR some people drinking wine is just like swilling pints of lager - you pour it down your throat until the required result is achieved.

For others wine is almost a religious experience with every mouthful of ultra-expensive bottles needing to be savoured and contemplated at length.

For the rest of us, of course, it's an interest that we pursue to varying degree of seriousness.

But there is so much to learn about wines that you're never going to progress far just by drinking the stuff.

The best way to understand, appreciate and get more out of your wine is to make a definite effort to go out and learn about it. Courses usually start in September or October.

In the south the Wine Development Board of Ireland - 01 280 7566 - runs a series of different courses all around the country targetted at various aspects of wine.

Of most interest to the general wine drinker are wine appreciation classes and the more serious Wine and Spirit Trust Certificate courses.

Wine appreciation classes tend to be fairly relaxed and informal, aimed simply at giving the students some background information about the subject and letting them taste dozens of different wines with a lecturer who is able to help them put words to what they are tasting and to understand what makes one wine different from - and better than - another.

These courses are terrific fun and very educational.

The Certificate courses, on the other hand, have a syllabus and an exam which gives you a recognised qualification and allows you to move on to a higher course.

Here you learn of the history, geography, grape varieties and winemaking styles of the world's main regions. You really get to grips with wine and learn a valuable structured approach to tasting.

In the north you should contact your local Further Educaton colleges as many of them run wine appreciation classes or the University of Ulster at Jordanstown - on 01232 365131 - which runs Certificate and Higher Certificate classes.

I'd recommend anybody who is interested in wine should pursue it through a wine course - you'll be hooked.

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