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• Expand your knowledge of wine at one of these CU locations

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Alto Vineyards wine display. Photo taken by Rebekah Nelson.

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  500 S. Goodwin Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
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Wine can be an intimidating venture. Given its traditionally pretentious connotations plus its own exclusive vocabulary that includes words like varietal, terroir and vintage, choosing and enjoying a wine can become an overwhelming task.

Yet wine used to be the drink of the masses, being served on the tables of patricians as well as plebians in ancient cultures. So why is there this mysterious aura around the vinaceous drink these days? Whatever the reason, there is no shortage of information available from local viticulturists and other area wine outlets to help out the CU’s wine-clueless and wine-curious.

Downtown Champaign

In downtown Champaign alone, there are ample opportunities to sample wines and pick up a few pointers on what to look for. At Radio Maria, owner Sharon Spears said that the restaurant occasionally offers wine tastings. Most recently, they hosted a wine dinner in which, for a flat fee, guests were served a multi-course meal. Each course was specially paired with a specific wine to complement the dishes’ flavors, helping diners to discern what kind of wines work with what foods and spices. “It went over well,” Spears said. “We’ll definitely be scheduling some for the near future.”

Furthermore, Mondays are 25 percent off any bottle of wine, and Tuesdays are half-price any glass of wine, allowing visitors to try the wide array of the restaurant’s wines and find their favorites for nearly the same price as enjoying campus bar drink specials.

Bacaro Wine Bar and Lounge, also in downtown Champaign, hosts periodic wine tastings as well as half-price wines on Sunday nights. They also have Wednesday night “flight nights” when customers can get three half-sized tasting pours of various select wines from the restaurant’s extensive stores for the price of only one glass.

Champaign

If you’re really interested in all there is to know about the palatable and gastric aspects of wine and respond well to a more structured setting, Sun Singer Wines, located on Windsor Road in Champaign, has three rotating seminars available. The classes are led by the store’s highly knowledgeable manager, Brian Bowman. For only $20, each Sunday night seminar lasts about two hours and encompasses everything one could hope to know about wine.

Wine 101, which covers the fundamentals of and etiquette behind wine, demystifies the art of wine enjoyment. The class teaches students everything from the basic terminology of wine to the way wine is produced — even what kind of flavors and characteristics to look for when tasting a wine.

Karen McNamer, a wine-buyer for Sun Singer, said that 101 is really designed to help the average person get more comfortable with wine. “We want you to have a knowledge of what you’re ordering so you know what you like and don’t like,” she said.

Wine 102 and 103 are a little more in-depth for the very serious student. Wine 102 further explores the practice of tasting wines while helping the student cultivate a more extensive wine vocabulary. Wine 103 explores how to pair wines with food while inspiring students to become adventurous in their own personal pairings.

Urbana

One of the best opportunities to train your palate is by frequenting Krannert’s weekly Uncorked. Offered every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., restaurants and wine suppliers from all over the area come with a few of their favorite wines for visitors to sample for free. The event always includes an informational sheet on which the name of the wines offered are typed, along with a blurb about each wine’s region and characteristics and a few food-pairing suggestions. Also in Urbana, The Corkscrew prides itself on having a knowledgeable staff that’s willing to answer any question thrown their way. While there are no structured classes, the Corkscrew does offers wine tasting every Friday night and Saturday evening. Patrons pay about $10 and are offered a selection of wines chosen by the staff. Staff members are also on hand to answer questions about the wines being offered.

Outside CU

By traveling farther out, you can find more great places in the surrounding area to go vino-venturing to get an even better grip on wine. Located just more than half an hour from campus, Sleepy Creek Vineyards is a local wine producer located between Champaign and Danville. Their store offers wine tastings every day that they are open. Visitors are free to walk in and ask their knowledgeable staff questions about their wines while sampling. Can’t think of what to ask? Don’t worry — the wine purveyors will explain the key flavor notes in each wine so you know what kind of nuances you are looking for.

Sleepy Creek also offers volunteer opportunities for those seeking a more hands-on experience. Known as the Purple Finger Club, members have the chance to be a part of the wine-making process from beginning to end. By helping out during the vineyard’s busy seasons, volunteers have the opportunity to prune and plant the vines in the spring, harvest in the late summer and bottle the final product in the fall.

“In Illinois, getting to pick grapes is a pretty rare thing,” said winery owner Joe Taylor. “It’s cool to be able to say you had a hand in making that wine when you come back in and see it on the shelf.”

Members can volunteer as much or as little as they want. But the more hours accumulated, the better the benefits. Benefits include 1 percent off of purchases for each hour worked, special access to small batch wines and the opportunity to do and learn more about wine than the vast majority of the population.

Alto Vineyards, also located in southern Illinois, has a second tasting room in the immediate area on Duncan Road. They also offer the opportunity for daily wine tastings and tours but with the added benefit of being slightly closer to campus with more flexible hours if time is an issue.

So if you consider yourself curious about this somewhat daunting libation, explore one of the many outlets CU offers for learning about wine. You’ll go from vino-clueless to vino-conversant in no time.