Tasting wine confidently starts with knowing what you’re actually sensing in the glass.
This workshop gives you a structured, sensory framework for doing exactly that, and it’s designed for both beginners and curious wine enthusiasts ready to sharpen their palate.
You’ll work through two guided flights of four wines each. The first focuses on structure: each wine is intentionally adjusted to isolate a key element—acidity, tannin, sugar, or oak—so you can feel how each one functions on its own.
The second flight puts those skills to work across four classic styles: dry white, dry red, dessert, and sparkling. Throughout both flights, you’ll use the 5S tasting method to evaluate wines analytically and describe what you’re experiencing with real clarity and confidence.
Walk away with practical tools you can use the next time you pick up a glass.
Meet your instructor – Karl Selzer
Karl Selzer is an Adjunct Faculty member in Enology at Lake Michigan College 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. His family history includes connections to wine in both Austria and California, so you can expect some special insights into the art of wine tasting.
Sessions & registration
- Friday, July 10, 5:30-7 p.m.
Location: Benton Harbor Campus, Welch Center for Wine and Viticulture Technology
Cost: $40
Registration deadline: July 8