Anyone who wants to be a wine connoisseur can start with a couple of classes offered at Ohio State.Food Science and Technology 170, taught by Karla Roehrig, associate professor, examines the culture, geography and procedures in making wine. Although students do sample wines, it is only a small part of the class.”Wine influences almost every aspect of Western culture,” Roehrig said. “It integrates social sciences, physical sciences, religion, and philosophy.”Wine has many different starting points in history, Roehrig said. Wine in California was influenced by Spanish immigrants who brought warm weather grapes. While, wine in the Eastern United States was influenced by German immigrants that grew cold weather grapes such as Riesling grapes.”The Germans were very successful at producing white wines in Ohio near the Ohio River,” Roehrig said. “In 1870, Ohio was the number one wine producing state in the country.”Roehrig said that OSU students and most younger people tend to enjoy sweeter wines because they are used to drinking soda pop.Roehrig and Roger Gentile, owner of Gentile’s Wine Sellers, said students must learn about drinking alcoholic beverages, especially wine, in moderation.”Wine is as dangerous as red meat, the sun and a Dodge Viper,” Gentile said. “If you misuse any of these things you will have long-term and short-term problems.”Gentile also teaches a non-credit wine tasting course at OSU, through the Creative Activities Program. The class includes the basics of wine and information on the variety of wines worldwide, he said. “Ohio State is an excellent school for students that are interested in wine making because of the admirable agriculture program that it offers,” Gentile said.Students in Gentile’s class sample the equivalent of one-fourth of a bottle of wine in a two-hour period so they can better taste each kind, he said.”Wine is like great music, wonderful literature, and beautiful art,” Gentile said. “Students have to have knowledge about wine because when they are in the real world and traveling, wine is prominent all over the world.”The most popular wines among students are Merlot, Cabernet and Chardonay, Gentile said.”The best way to learn about wine is read and taste,” he said.For more information regarding these classes, contact the Department of Food Science and Technology or the Creative Activities Program.