Harrison's to offer wine tasting classes

Lucy Rogers received her wine education in The Windy City, where wine bars and classes provide more knowledge about wine culture than is usually offered in State College.

In an effort to spread wine wisdom, Rogers, manager and wine director of Harrison's Wine Grill & Catering inside the Hilton Garden Inn, 1221 E. College Ave., will teach classes in January and February. The first class, Wine 101 -- The Basics, will be held Jan. 12.

Some of the other classes offered include "Worldly Cabernets," "The Beauty of Blended Wines," "Savvy About Sparkling" and "Wines of Spain."

A basics class was held Nov. 20, when about 20 people tasted six wines.

Red wine should be poured about 15 minutes before it will be drank, and white wine should be chilled until serving, Rogers said.

"You have to taste wine next to each other to understand the differences," Rogers said.

Guests sniffed each wine with their eyes closed because "sense of smell triggers memory," Rogers said. Some said what they thought was in each wine, ingredients like green apple, green bell pepper and wood.

"When you say something, then I can taste it," one woman said after hearing the thoughts from her peers.

Water and bread were provided to cleanse the palate before tasting the next wine. Rogers encouraged attendees to "try your best to put into words what you like [and] why you like it."

Most of Rogers' wine experience comes from managing a Chicago restaurant, she said.

"I was on the team that helped decide the wines, where I learned most of what I knew for probably two years," Rogers said. "[We] just every month sat down and tasted wine. This is something that I think that I can do fairly well. [It's a] meeting of two things: wine experience and interest in it."

Rogers said some people are interested in wine, but intimidated by it. If you're more educated about wine, you won't waste money on things you don't like, she said.

"I talk about it in a way that's easier for people to understand," Rogers said. "You don't have to be a wine snob to figure out what you like. A little bit of education can go a really long way in serving you for a lifetime in terms of developing an interest in wine and figuring out what you like."

Restaurants can't offer a ton of wines by the glass because too much is wasted, so they "stick to what they know people like," Rogers said. Harrison's offers 20 wines by the glass on a "pretty regular basis" from a list of about 60 or 70 options, she said.

"I really feel like I develop the wine list to cover a broad range of tastes and prices," she said.

Rogers held classes last January, March and in the summer, and has "yet to find somebody who says 'I didn't get anything out of it,' " she said.

Cindy Petrick, a member of the University Women's Club, was there for more than sampling wine. She attended the wine tasting with other club members who are starting their own wine club.

They came to observe the "structure and way of approaching wine tasting," Petrick said.

In addition to classes, Harrison's will hold a Valentine's Wine Dinner on Feb. 15.

Samantha DiFerdinando (senior-HRIM) will take HRIM 311, Wine Appreciation, a class offered to HRIM students who are at least 21 years old, next semester. DiFerdinando hopes to learn which foods pair with which wines, a skill that will help her in the restaurant business.

"I don't know anything about wine, other than, like, boxed wine," she said. "I don't really know what I like and what's good with what."