Are you a connoisseur of wine or do you aim to be one? Do you skim through the wine list with ease and pick out the best that compliments your food or do you look all foxed at the names of different kinds of wines? Do you wish to better your appreciation of vintage wines or do you wish to start at least understanding them?

For those who can  order wine with confidence and are something of an oenophile in the becoming to those who are greenhorns in these matters, the “Wine Tour de France: Discovering French Cepages” being hosted at the Le Skyroom of the French Institute Alliance Francaise (22 E. 60th Street – between Park and Madison Avenues) will be something of an eye opener.

Your host for each of the six tasting sessions will be none other than Chef Sommelier of Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud, Michael Madrigale. The series of wine tasting events organized this year at the Alliance Francais will focus on the grape varietal used to make wine, known in French as cépages. The attendees will be taken through virtually every region of France so that they may experience for themselves the importance and effect of cépages on the essential character, color and flavor of wines. Along with some of the finest wines known to man, guests will also sample some delicious charcuterie and cheeses from France. They will also be instructed on pairing wine with different kinds of foods. This is one journey that wine lovers are going to love and cherish.

The tastings that will be held over six Monday evenings are as follows -

• February 1 – Burgundy – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• February 22 – Rhône Valley – Syrah and Grenache
• March 29 – Bordeaux – Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
• April 19 – Alsace – Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Blanc
• May 10 – Loire Valley – Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir
• June 7 – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier

A single tasting for members of the Alliance Francaise is $95, while for non-members it is $115. Three tastings come in a little cheaper, as members shell out $250 and non members $300. If you wish to attend all six tastings, which will also include a complimentary special Bordeaux tasting, members will have to cough up $500 and non-members $600.

Though you might find the prices to be on the higher side, consider what you are going to gain from it. An exposure to some of the best wines in the world, instructive classes conducted by authorities of the subject of wine tasting and the chance to tantalize your taste buds with some cheeses and charcuterie from France. You don’t get this kind of an opportunity every day. Make the best you can of it.

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