Wine 101 with Certified Sommelier Jason Forbes at Lake Michigan College Welch Center for Wine & Viticulture – Benton Harbor, MI

Explore the Structure of Wine—One Sip at a Time

Join certified sommelier Jason Forbes for a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of wine tasting, wine service, and food pairing. Whether you’re a wine lover looking to sharpen your palate or just getting started, this class offers a fun, interactive way to build your wine knowledge.

The heart of the session is a guided tasting experience that breaks down wine’s structural elements—acidity, sweetness, alcohol, tannin, and oak. You’ll taste specially altered wines designed to highlight each of these features, helping you understand how they shape a wine’s flavor, feel, and balance.

By the end, you’ll practice your skills on finished wines and walk away with:

• A better grasp of wine lingo and tasting vocabulary
• Tips for wine service and how to approach a wine list
• A practical sense of what makes wines pair well with different foods

Whether you’re training your palate or just looking for a new kind of wine night, this class is a perfect starting point.

Learn from a Pro!This tasting is led by Jason Forbes, a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers with over 16 years of experience as a wine director. His wine programs have been recognized by Wine Spectator, and his studies have taken him to Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and Verona, Italy. He is also Italian Wine Certified through the Italian Trade Commission.

This Extended Education class is for personal enrichment only and is not eligible for college credit. If you are interested in learning more about LMC’s Wine and Viticulture Technology program, please reach out to Program Director Tim Godfrey at tgodfrey@lakemichigancollege.edu.