By Matt Spector The Daily Northwestern

In a world of kegs and pitchers, the students of the Wine Culture Club are thinking outside the box – literally.

The Feinberg School of Medicine group turns wine drinking into a learning experience and transforms wine amateurs to connoisseurs.

Outgoing co-president Rebecca Harris, a second-year Feinberg student, said the club is a welcomed break from “having to study and cram lots of stuff into your head.”

Nonetheless, the club chose to adapt the medical school’s “problem-based learning model” to their appreciation of wine, Harris said. During meetings, a club officer assigns a “problem” for homework – a particular variety of wine or wine from a specific region – to members, who solve it by researching the best wine to buy along with compatible foods and details, such as the country of origin and the wine’s flavor profile.

“It’s kind of nice to have each person be an expert in every wine they bring rather than you just trying to pick it up on your own,” said first-year Feinberg student Jessica Schulte, the organization’s president.

Schulte said she became interested in wine when she spent time in South Africa to study political science, social reform, culture and environmental concerns. She later bought “Intro to Wine” books to learn more. She said learning about wine with other people through the Wine Culture Club is “much more interesting and different.”

“It’s fun to share that with other people,” Schulte said. “That’s the whole purpose of wine – it’s a very social experience.”

Maya Srikanth, outgoing co-president and a second-year Feinberg student, said she was at first intimidated by wine.

“I always associated wine tasting with old rich people,” Srikanth said. “I didn’t feel like I could get a grasp of everything that was going on and the flavor profiles. What attracted me to the group was to try to make it a little less intimidating.”

Srikanth said as a result of her experiences, she can now differentiate between the types of barrels used to age her wine and how to determine the unique flavors of the drink.

“For fruit flavors I can pick out the big ones – citrus fruits and green apple,” Srikanth said. “For dark wines, you can pick up more spicy berry flavors. I’ve never been able to taste ‘chocolatey’ – I usually think they’re making that up.”

In addition to problem-solving sessions and wine tasting, the club holds its annual wine semi-formal at a Chicago venue for its members to mingle, Harris said. This year’s formal was held at the Cru Cafe and Wine Bar downtown. Harris said the event was an opportunity to enjoy good wine and the company of the club’s members.

Srikanth said the wine etiquette that makes college students roll their eyes, such as swirling wine in its glass and “swishing the wine around your mouth,” has a purpose.

Swirling the wine allows one to see how well it sticks to the side of the glass and aerates the drink; swishing the wine allows it to cover the tongue so one tastes the whole range of the wine’s flavors, Srikanth said.

Harris said that after trying a variety of wines and learning about flavors, “you start collecting and figuring out wines you like and figuring out your own palate.”

Srikanth said standing in the wine section surrounded by “65 bottles of wine” can be difficult, but there are a few helpful tips to follow.

“If you’re trying to pick out a wine, choose the label you like the most because a lot of the time companies will try to design the label with the flavor of the wine in mind,” Srikanth said.

Srikanth and Schulte said they would plan events involving undergraduates if students showed enough interest.

“It would be fun to incorporate undergrads,” Schulte said. “It’s all for the love of wine.”

Reach Matt Spector at [email protected].