It has been said that life is too short to drink bad wine, but Pavlis’s lesson supports yet another maxim: life is also too short to drink wine badly. Highlights of his wine talk are available online at capemaycountyherald.com, but here are some of his top tips for enjoying the fruit of the vineyard.

- Don’t drink from colored glasses. Wine is supposed to appeal to all of your senses, and clear glasses allow you to see the color of the wine. What should you do with colored glasses that you already own? “Throw them out…or use them as water glasses,” he says.
- Swirling the glass brings the wine’s unique smells into the air, which enhances enjoyment. The tongue can only distinguish five flavors, but the nose can appreciate thousands.
- Temperature is key to enjoying wine, so hold your glass by the stem to avoid bringing the wine to body temperature.
- Red wines are served warmer than whites, but room temperature rarely allows a wine to show off its best side. Many wine enthusiasts buy win coolers to keep white at a just right temperature, but that’s not in everyone’s budget. As a general rule, Pavlis says, store white wine in the refrigerator and remove it 15 minutes before serving. For red, store it at room temperature, then chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes before pouring.
- Not sure you like red wine? Some recommend Merlot as a good way to introduce the palate to reds, but Pavlis said a soft, velvety Pinot Noir is a great place to start.
- Don’t get a bottle of wine to go with dinner. Buy wine for each course, so that you can match the flavors. “Wine (is) the liquid part of the meal,” Pavlis says.
- Pairing wine with food can be overwhelming for a novice. Pavlis recommends tasting the wine and matching the flavors of the wine with a complementary food. For example, a lemony Piinot Grigio would go great with anything that you squirt lemon on. “Like fish,” Pavlis said.
- The dry puckering tannins in red wine can be mellowed and smoothed out by fatty, protein rich foods, so red meat is a natural match for wines high in tannins.
- Skip that pre-dinner martini, Pavlis says, unless you don’t expect the food to be very good. Studies have found cocktails numb taste buds for up to 30 minutes, impeding your enjoyment of the meal. Champagne or sparkling wine, on the other hand, can perk up your palate.
- Once you learn to slow down and savor wine, you may find yourself luxuriating over life’s other enjoyments as well. “I even swirl my orange juice,” Pavlis said.

In addition to introducing the class to the basics of wine making, Pavlis shared what he knows about the history of New Jersey wine, and the burgeoning wine industry in Cape May County. Three wineries are currently operating here: The Cape May Winery and Vineyards, 709 Townbank Road in North Cape May, 609-884-1169; Turdo Vineyards, 3911 Bay-shore Road, North Cape May, 609-884-5591; and Natali Vineyards, 221 US Highway 47, Cape May Courthouse (Middle Township), NJ. And take your time; you don’t need to go far to taste great wine.