Glasses are in session

It’s 6 p.m. on a Friday night, and the room is already buzzing with women in miniskirts and guys in loosened neckties. Every one of them is holding a wineglass and sipping something wonderful -- a $70 Caymus Cabernet, or maybe a $38 release from Jordan vineyards. Between bites of crispy portabello bruschetta come snippets of intimate conversation cutting through the high-energy bustle of the crowd.

If you thought you stumbled into a particularly good cocktail party, or maybe a choice bar scene, you’d be forgiven. This kind of gathering erupts someplace in Los Angeles almost every night of the week.

It’s a wine class.

OK, to be fair, it’s what the wine class is morphing into with a vengeance: a sort of neither-fish-nor-fowl event that involves copious tastings, very sociable crowds and just a splash of wine education.

The Friday night event, for instance, is called Cab-O-Rama, a little extravaganza put on by the Wine House, a West Los Angeles shop that hosts almost daily wine events. Twenty bucks has bought the 100-plus patrons a short pour of nine good wines at the store’s contemporary upstairs bar, nibbles of that bruschetta -- and a cloak of legitimacy.

This isn’t a bar scene, or a singles scene, but something not entirely unlike either. It is a fashionable pursuit, a quick introduction to a sophisticated set of friends (and possibly a dinner date for later in the evening) and, failing that, a primer on Sonoma Cabs, old vines and the best way to get a balky cork out of the bottle.

Once you start looking for these so-called wine classes and tastings, they turn up everywhere -- they’re being held in edgy nightclubs, culinary schools and even a neighborhood paint store. An online site devoted to listing wine events across America posts 72 of them this month in L.A. alone.

The Echo, a nightclub in Echo Park, is attracting a hipster crowd to its monthly Extreme Wine Tastings. These six-taste affairs feature an irreverent host, Julian Davies, and a DJ spinning songs about wine, from ZZ Top to ambient electronica. Mere days after its opening, Silver Lake Wine, a new shop on Glendale Boulevard, will have its first event on Sunday (pouring the wines of Piedmont). On the other hand, every Saturday for the last seven years Wine Country in Signal Hill has drawn a crowd to its afternoon tastings and evening seminars. “We’ve become our community’s meeting place,” says owner Randy Kemner. Oddly enough -- or perhaps it had to happen -- Jill’s Paint Store in Atwater Village has joined the roster, offering tastings to select customers from the nicely stocked backroom bar (owner Peggy McCloud is a wine collector).

Although the events are undeniably -- and sometimes primarily -- social, not every wine class is aimed at sparking romance. (Although -- singles alert! -- Pairings, a club guided by the motto, “Pairing food, wine and the art of conversation,” is hosting a pairing of Spanish tapas and wines at the Forum Art Gallery tonight in West L.A.). Still, there are plenty of regulars who speak of years-long friendships sparked at one of the events, and of the built-in opportunities for post-party invitations for drinks or a meal.

It’s easy enough to join the circuit. I started with a class for beginners, and then, in the name of duty and good journalism, studied intently at five wine “classes” in nine days last month. I had to limit myself -- there are often two events on a weekend night in L.A.

A little thirst for knowledge can be dangerous in this town.

The warm-up

It’s easy to feel a little remedial when you sign up for a class called Absolute Beginning Wine Appreciation. But here at the Wine House, you can never review too often. Four or five nights a week, the West L.A. wine shop offers seminars and tastings in its new upstairs classroom, including this one for first-timers. For $38, each of the 40 of us gets a seat, bread, cheese, two glasses, nine wines and a dump bucket -- which is used rarely.

“If you don’t learn anything else tonight, do this,” said J.B. Severin, the store’s general manager and head of seminars, as he tilted a glass almost parallel to the table. “It will scare the waiter. But you’ll be able to see the color and smell it.”

We begin by toasting to higher education with a Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne, and in two hours move on to Talbott Chardonnay, Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alderbrook Zinfandel and four other wines. Meanwhile, Severin is carrying on about production methods and soil types in France, old vines in California and proper wine storage in your home.

We commit in ink the following:

“The fridge is the kiss of death. If you put white wine in the refrigerator for seven days, it will go numb and never recover.”

“If you don’t have a cellar, store wine in a dark, cool, interior closet.”

“Salty, buttery food, like Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Popcorn, is fantastic with oaky Chardonnays.”

“Only Champagne belongs in the ice bucket.”

We are taught to swirl, sniff, sip and swallow. We learn how to select and use a corkscrew (go for one shaped like a spiral, not an actual screw); why not to sniff a cork or judge a wine by the “legs” or streaks it drips inside a glass (neither indicates flavor); the way to get a good recommendation at a wine shop (bring your recipes for dinner).

We are armed. We are dangerous. We are ready for our next dinner party.

Snob factor: Moderate. The next time this mostly Westside crowd gets a table at A.O.C., they’re going to order something other than a Merlot.

Cocktail party quotient: Low. Hey, we’re actually learning something here.

Educational rating: High. Now we’re ready to roll.

The cult

Glendale’s Red Carpet Wine Bar sells not just sips of wine, but personal fulfillment, the completion of a quest for wines too exclusive and expensive for ordinary consumption.

For eight years, serious devotees have gathered at the store’s bar, a permanent fixture of glistening tile, Spiegelau stemware and seating for 24. On Fridays and Saturdays, the bartender pours a choice of nearly two-dozen wines for about 100 people.

Store owner David Dobbs and manager Kaj Stromer tend to offer wines that move critics to gush, collectors to covet and cults to form. A few weeks ago, Dobbs had enthusiasts quivering with anticipation for the Holy Grail of the new century -- 2000 vintages of Dalla Valle Maya, Colgin Cariad and, for $35 a taste, Bryant Family Cabernet (it’s going for $595 a bottle at Westside wine stores). Two ounces each of all six could be tasted for $110.

No one shuddered. “You get to taste something that most people who love wines never get to taste in their lives,” said Gina Calvelli, an attorney and wine collector. And it’s true, some of these cult wines cost $300 to $500 a bottle, if you can get one. The Colgin winery has 4,000 people on the waiting list.

Richard Jennings, president of the local chapter of the American Wine Society, confessed that he actually moved from Pasadena to be four blocks away. Here, he can join other people to talk all night about wine, wine, wine.

“This is like the ‘Cheers’ bar I thought I’d never have,” he says.

Representatives from wineries are on hand to give their spiel, but only if you ask them. “We have done things more structured, where we pour, you taste, we talk -- people aren’t really interested in that,” Stromer said. “Anyone who can taste wine can form an opinion. It isn’t a science.”

Snob factor: Surprisingly low. Though many possess deep pockets and enviable wine cellars, the crowd could as easily be at a Milwaukee beer bar.

Cocktail party quotient: High. This is happy hour for wine devotees who are headed to dinner with a bottle from their cellar.

Educational rating: Moderate. Fellow sippers tend to be expert and only too happy to share.

A marathon

Twenty-two wines. Appetizers. Four full entrees. Dessert. And an invitation to drink more after class. Wine education comes in big helpings at the Chez School of Food and Wine in Redondo Beach.

The culinary school inside Chez Melange restaurant offers a monthly class led by Michael Franks, the restaurant’s owner, and chef Robert Bell. The $95 classes have a months-long waiting list, even though they’re held in a sterile back room. Franks leads the group of 18 to 20 in wine discussions, with guest speakers who might include a winemaker.

This is for serious drinkers of fine wine; few are asking questions about food preparation. In addition to the four generous flights of four wines -- including a 1999 MacRostie Merlot and a 2001 Hare’s Chase Shiraz -- are the bottles brought along by the developers, doctors, brokers and other high-net-worth individuals in the class.

And then there are the bonus tastes from winemaker Keith Nichols of Nichols Winery & Cellars of Paso Robles.

And the after-party invitations from your classmates.

By glass 17 and course four, you’re grateful for those full-size entrees of scallops, duck, short ribs and leg of lamb, enough to absorb the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Snob appeal: High. Try not to be blinded by diamonds, dye jobs or apologies that a recent international vacation isn’t exotic enough to merit discussion.

Cocktail party quotient: High. And it’s only Tuesday.

Educational rating: Moderate. One of the few places offering a chance to learn firsthand about food and wine pairings.

My cellar or yours?

High above downtown, on the 34th floor of the Bonaventure Hotel, waiters pass hors d’oeuvres, young professionals pile their plates and groups of guys study the dozens of wines -- and single women -- gathered at the tables.

No teacher is lecturing, no experts are debating, but lots of people are having fun tasting all kinds of new wines. This is Wine Brats, a national, nonprofit group that is trying to be “the antithesis of the wine snob event,” says L.A. chapter director Mark Murphy. Goal achieved.

This evening’s event, a benefit for Access Books, is $47.50 in advance. That’s about $20 more than most Brat parties, but it still attracts nearly 150 sippers. The price of admission automatically makes you a member of the group, and allows you unlimited tastes from the 14 wineries stationed in the revolving circular bar atop the hotel. Eats are a nice range of wine-friendly cheeses, some fried shrimp and good olives.

With 1,700 or so names on the e-mail list, the chance to meet someone new at each event is high. Failing that, you’ll at least make contact with a winery rep or a local retailer. Tonight’s guests also acquired a whole new set of sobriety-testing skills. Under the influence, we negotiated the revolving room, the stairs to the elevator, the escalators to the parking garage, and the ramp out of the garage. That scores an A-plus.

Snob factor: Low. They call themselves “brats.”

Cocktail party quotient: High. How else are you going to wean 25-year-olds from chocolate martinis?

Educational rating: Moderate. Did you know that Kenwood’s Jack London Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Merlot come from vineyards that grow on the author’s former Sonoma ranch? Cool.

Mom’s night out

When a $35 class offers two hours of baby-sitting for $10, the opportunity to socialize with other parents of young children, a selection of good cheeses and a lot of interesting wine tips, it’s not just an outing, it’s a blessing. Wine enthusiast John Midby teaches a series of classes called the Pleasures of Wine and Food at, of all places, a room overlooking the playground of the Silver Lake Independent Jewish Community Center.

Midby is a teacher, wine enthusiast and father of a 4-year-old who attends the center’s preschool. The classes started as a fundraiser and have evolved into nearly monthly events at which Midby steers students through wine’s various moods, price levels and quality marks. Not once is “Manischewitz” uttered.

The many regulars in this class are swirling like pros, sipping happily and chatting loudly about food, restaurants, wine -- and for once, not the kids.

“No one comes into the class and says ‘the ’63 vintage is better than the ‘67,’ ” Midby says. “No one is really geeked out about it.”

Midby encourages informed wine consumerism, or rather, how not to spend a lot of money on pretty drinkable wine. We’re led though the perils of bad storage (the heat above the refrigerator kills wine), urged to hold the wineglass by the stem (hides liquid from view, fingerprints blur color, heat alters flavor) and even prompted to mix our own cuvee from the remainders of not-quite-perfect wines. What? Mix our own?

“I never thought you could combine two wines,” says participant Elann Mandler. “I thought people would stone you or light you on fire if you tried that.”

Ah, but no, Midby reassures. “Why should winemakers get to have all the fun?” Why, indeed? Le’chayim!

Snob factor: Zero. Once you’ve been seen in public with baby spit on your suit, why try?

Cocktail party quotient: Moderate. No one is taking notes, but we’re having a great time.

Educational rating: Moderate. A few more of these classes and we’ll feel confident ordering good wine in restaurants -- in 10 years when we can afford to again.

The splurge

This is the Gucci of wine classes, held in an elegant lounge inside the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive. This afternoon’s lesson is a $55 “master class” on Australian wine, led by Dan Fredman, a wine consultant and publicist.

Twenty-two people -- half couples, half pairs of single women -- arrange wineglasses, a plate of Australian cheeses and a glass bucket on the white tablecloth. The setting is so elegant, the patrons so well-groomed, I am compelled to hide the dump bucket with my vase of orchids.

With five flights of four wines, a rather potent offering for an afternoon in Beverly Hills, dumping becomes a necessity, especially if you’re keen to understand the nuances of Feldman’s chatty discourse. No one flinches when Feldman tosses around terms such as “bush vines” and “phenolic maturation.”

In nearly three hours, we learn how Australians are redefining the wine business with their corporate farming techniques and nonstandard blends. We taste a Penfolds Cabernet-Shiraz blend and hear about the eucalyptus trees that surround the vineyard. We despise an $18 Torbreck blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, but adore Torbreck’s $100 the Factor Shiraz, a blend from old vineyards in the Barossa Valley. We learn how the remote geography of the continent pushed winemakers toward fortified, more stabilized, wines, such as Port and Tokay, that could survive the long journey to Europe.

We study handout maps of the continent’s major wine regions, scan a reference guide to Australian wine books, newsletters and websites. We drink a lot of wine and marvel at how Australia’s highly mechanical wine production methods turn out a pretty good $10 bottle.

By taste 16, we struggle with the concept of a bubbly red -- a Majella Sparkling Shiraz. Many among the 40-something crowd remember too well the insult of Andre’s Cold Duck.

Snob factor: Moderate. Try not to feel ashamed that you have not recently traveled throughout Australia.

Cocktail party quotient: Low. This group is more interested in friable red loams than cute redheads.

Educational rating: High. Now we know snooty sommeliers will not scoff at our Australian Port.

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WINE TIP NO. 1

So, that great new Spanish red wine goes really well with lamb, but not so great with your white cotton shirt. What to do? Gently, gently blot up the wine, rinse it with some cool water and marinate it overnight in enzyme stain remover.

WINE TIP NO.2

It’s all in the wrist. To pour like a pro -- meaning you don’t drip that Cabernet all over the tablecloth -- keep the bottle parallel to the table. At the instant you wish to quit pouring, roll the still-parallel bottle to the inside and then lift it upright.

WINE TIP NO. 3

Pop is for soda, not good champagne. To properly open sparkling wine, get the bottle good and cold, loosen but don’t remove the wire cage, cover the cork with a towel, and grab it all with your right hand. Keeping the cork steady, twist the bottle with your left hand holding the base and slooooowly let out the pressure. You want “poof,” not “pop.”

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The grapevine

THE BIG PICTURE

www.localwineevents.com:

A website devoted to all things wine -- tastings, dinners, classes, fundraisers and news, covering the U.S. and abroad. In L.A. alone, there were 72 events listed this month.

HOT SPOTS

* American Wine Society, Los Angeles Chapter, www.awsla.org. Social and educational organization hosts wine tastings. The next one is Thursday at Spark Woodfire Cooking in Studio City.

* Chez School of Food and Wine, 1718 Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach; (310) 316-1566. Monthly classes and elaborate dinners at a culinary school.

* Extreme Wine Tastings, at the Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park; (213) 413-8200. A hipster crowd -- young, mohawked, pierced -- shows up at the club for serious monthly wine events.

* Josie’s, 2424 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 581-9888. Chef Josie Le Balch and guest hosts teach Sunday afternoon cooking and wine-pairing classes at the restaurant.

* Learn About Wine, (310) 451-7600, www.learnaboutwine.com. Wine educator Ian Blackburn hosts sophisticated wine dinners, tastings and trips.

* Los Angeles School of Wines, P.O. Box 1543, Culver City; (310) 474-7773, (800) 986-WINE. Wine expert Martin Weiner gives weekly lectures and wine dinners at his home.

* Mission Wines, 1114 Mission St., South Pasadena; (626) 403-WINE. Owner and former sommelier Chris Meeske hosts classes and weekend tastings at the store.

* Morry’s of Naples, 5764 E. 2nd St., Long Beach; (562) 433-0405. Seminars and tastings Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

* Pleasures of Food and Wine,

at Silver Lake Independent Jewish Community Center, 1110 Bates Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 662-9425. John Midby puts a social spin on wine education.

* Red Carpet Wine, 400 E. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale;

(800) 339-0609. Crowds show up for weekend tastings of top-notch wines at the bar.

* Wine Brats, (877) 545-4699. www.winebrats.org. Laid-back wine education and social group aimed at young professionals. L.A. events at least monthly.

* The Wine House, 2311 Cotner Ave., West L.A.; (310) 479-3731. Extensive weeknight classes; weeknight social events.

* Wine Country, 2301 Redondo Ave., Signal Hill; (562) 597-8303; (800) 505-5564. Popular in-store classes and weekend tastings.