Dreadnought Wines

2013 Penn Avenue

(412) 391-1709

Class schedules… Dreadnought Wines

2013 Penn Avenue

(412) 391-1709

Class schedules available at www.dreadnoughtwines.com

For the average college student, wandering down the wine aisle of the liquor store is like navigating Wonderland — it’s confusing, alienating and strange. Timid students looking to indulge in grape-infused splendor seek refuge in the boxed wine aisle, figuring anything that comes in a bag couldn’t be any scarier than the milk pouches we sipped on in elementary school.

Mike Gonze, president of Dreadnought Wines, is here with good news for those who usually dive towards the bottom shelf for their weekend buzz — wine doesn’t have to be intimidating or expensive.

“We’re working on trademarking the expression, ‘Take a stranger to dinner,’” Gonze said in response to the anxiety of wine purchasers. “The difference between a $10 and $50 bottle of wine is sometimes where the grapes are from. Experience the $10 bottle. Just because a bottle is cheaper doesn’t mean it’s bad.”

Gonze lost his job in 1983. Instead of surrendering to the economy, however, he made wine out of grapes – figuratively speaking. His brother, Bob, had opened Dreadnought Wines three years earlier and invited him to work in the store. Gonze, knowing little about wine, was hesitant but agreed.

After three years in the store, he received a call from the Community College of Allegheny County, which was interested in starting a wine class. When no one else at Dreadnought jumped at the opportunity, Gonze volunteered and created a Wine 101 course.

The class was such a success that he went on to teach at other CCAC campuses until 2006. It was then that he began teaching classes in the store and for private group functions like the Pitt Program Council wine-tasting event.

Class participants learn expected basics like how to notice the color, smell and taste components of the wine, but they also receive a history lesson of what they’re drinking.

“Wine is history. Wine is part of a culture,” Gonze said. “As a student, aren’t we supposed to be studying what other people are doing? I really believe that we are a multinational environment, so we should experience other cultures.”

Gonze has since expanded from his original Wine 101 course. Dreadnought offers Wine 102, which teaches students to “define a personal taste profile.”

“Too many times people say, ‘I want the good one,’ and they use price as the definition. Meaning, ‘Oh it must be good if I spend $100.’ But I don’t think that’s the definition, and I want to get people to see that. That’s the goal of Wine 102,” said Gonze. The prices of the sampled bottles aren’t revealed until the end of the class so students experience the wine for its flavor rather than price.

Gonze also discourages wine drinkers from reading bottle reviews. “I don’t buy wine based on review. Just because that person liked that wine, that year, doesn’t make that a good wine. No one can tell you, ‘Oh you’re going to like this Cabernet.’”

Sarah Ubinger, who graduated from Pitt in 2007 and has taken both Wine 101 and 102 said the classes have improved her appreciation for wine. “[Before taking the class,] I always drank wine and knew that I liked red more than white, but that was the extent of what I knew about it. Now I know it’s more complex; there’s more that goes into choosing.”

Brian Lenz, 25, who also took Wine 101 and 102, said the classes have encouraged him to “ask questions from people who do know what’s on the label. If you want something good to go with your food, ask at the store. If you’re starting from scratch, your chance of guessing the right one out of the 1000 bottles in the store is not good.”

Lenz, like Ubinger, said that before taking the class, “I always drank wine but didn’t know a darn thing about what I was drinking.” He enrolled in the course because he “just wanted to learn more. There’s a lot to know about wine.”

Gonze says the number one goal of his classes is “getting people comfortable with the buying decision. Have fun, don’t be overwhelmed.”

“Learn what you like  — that’s what college is all about. Education is about learning and experiencing life. Wine is food — experience it. Don’t be afraid of it.”