How to Taste Wine Like a PRO

Learning how to taste wine confidently begins with understanding what you’re sensing in the glass. This interactive workshop is designed for both beginners and curious wine drinkers who want to improve their tasting skills using a structured sensory approach.

The class includes two guided tasting flights of four wines each. In the first flight, participants will taste wines intentionally adjusted to highlight key structural components of wine—acidity, tannin, sugar, and oak—helping you recognize how these elements feel and function on your palate.

In the second flight, we’ll apply those skills while tasting four classic wine styles: dry white, dry red wine, dessert wine, and sparkling wine. Using the 5S method of wine tasting, participants will learn how to evaluate wines analytically and describe what they’re experiencing with greater confidence and clarity.

This workshop provides practical tools you can use immediately to better understand and enjoy wine!

Karl Selzer is an Adjunct Faculty in Enology at LMC and brings a unique and interdisciplinary path to the wine industry. Karl's formal winemaking training came through UC Davis, and he has spent nearly the past decade working in Virginia. Karl has years of training and experience in sensory evaluation, and will help you become a PRO wine taster!

About Extended Education at the Welch Center

This course is offered through Lake Michigan College’s Extended Education program for personal enrichment and is non-credit. It is designed for community members, wine enthusiasts, and lifelong learners interested in expanding their appreciation and understanding of wine.

The class takes place at the Welch Center for Wine & Viticulture Technology, home to the Midwest’s only commercial teaching winery. The Welch Center supports Lake Michigan College’s Wine & Viticulture Technology Program, where students gain hands-on experience producing wines released under the Lake Michigan Vintners label while preparing for careers across the wine industry.

To learn more about courses and credentials in winemaking, viticulture, and wine business at Lake Michigan College, visit:

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Host or Publisher Michael Moyer