About this Event
Creativity is the best sauce. It makes everything richer, no matter what the form. In this interactive tasting class, our artforms are Italian wine and Italian painting together and speaking the same delicious language.
The wines of Italy mirror the country’s art. Both are shaped by landscape, history, light, and raging creativity. As you taste wines from northeast Italy side-by-side with the art and the artists of the region, you’ll discover how artists and winemakers respond to the same soil, histories, and human impulses, turning geography and emotion into wine and art.
You’ll learn to taste and identify the signature aromas, textures, and styles of northeast Italy’s wines. Get ready to experience lively Prosecco, the planet's best Pinot Grigio, ruby-red Valpolicella, and more. Along the way, you’ll learn how to taste more deeply, see more closely, and understand how wine, like art, tells the story of how people live.
GET OUT... OF THE HOUSE!
This is not a lecture format class. It's about tasting, thinking, and talking about wine and art. Arrive curious about wine, food, art, and more, and you'll end up learning about yourself and about each other.
You’ll leave with clearer tasting vocabulary, a handful of pairing strategies you can use anywhere, and a printed tasting sheet with notes and recommended bottles to explore. This is for curious wine lovers and art admirers alike: no prior expertise required—just an openness to taste wine on purpose and look at art more closely.
TASTING ART, MAKING ART
And then, brush in hand, with palette waiting and palate ready, you will translate wine color into watercolor. A gentle, guided lesson will help you follow the impressions the wine has left behind. Maybe your brushstroke is bold, like the vivid Burgundy, or airy and translucent, like the shimmer of Sauvignon Blanc. There is no wrong direction: the wine will be your muse, the color your guide.
By the end of the evening, you will have created a small work of art that holds the memory of the wines that inspired it, a keepsake of wine and art intertwined.
WINE & FOOD MENU (tentative)
Prosecco, the core of the Bellini cocktail, meet Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini
Alpine Pinot Grigio, the color of starlight
Orange wine should be in tribute to Titian, the great painter and the color both
Schiava produces great wine in obscurity, a grape in search of a champion
Ripasso is a wine with intense opaque color and depth, best sipped with Caravaggio
We'll snack on a light antipasto of bread, cheese, olives, and salumi.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND This is a broad and deep survey course for beginners and enthusiasts alike. It assumes some exposure to wine but does not require formal or technical wine knowledge. This program is appropriate for wine lovers as well as wine professionals in all wine, food, hospitality and service industries.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Students will taste and grow familiar with a diverse range of Italian wine, from the most transparent white wines to opaque reds and everything in between. You'll explore the deep conjunction of Italian wine and Italian art through place, in history, and in the glass.
PLEASE NOTE Wine & food menus are subject to change based on availability, inspiration, and whimsy!
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS Guests & students must be at least 21.
YOUR EDUCATOR
JONATHON ALSOP is founder & executive director of the Boston Wine School, author of The Wine Lover’s Devotional and , and a commentator for National Public Radio on WGBH | Boston Public Radio and Under The Radar.
He began writing about wine, food and travel in 1988 and emerged as a wine expert through his syndicated wine column. He has contributed numerous articles to the Associated Press, Frequent Flyer Magazine, La Vie Claire, Beverage Business Magazine, Mobil Travel Guides, Fodor’s Travel Guides, Boston Globe, and many others.
Jonathon founded the Boston Wine School in 2000 where he teaches wine and food classes in a dedicated 100% snob-free zone. His new book Wine Life: A Collection Of Verses will be published in 2026.
VENUE
DIANA STELIN GALLERY | dianastelin.com | 1386B Beacon Street, Brookline MA 02446
DIANA STELIN is an award-winning landscape artist and educator, author and fashion designer whose lush, layered, shimmering gold leaf, oil and wax pieces are featured in dozens of private and corporate collections around the world.
Founder of the Flow Method, and recipient of Best of Boston award, Diana Stelin is on a mission to reduce Burnout through Creativity - the topic of the Ted talk she presented in March '22. She is founder of The Plein-Air Art Academy, and received a Best of Boston Award for kids' art classes. Diana published a highly acclaimed novel about the importance of art for our psyche, and in recent years has presented a TedX talk on using creativity to fight burnout, appeared as a guest on multiple podcasts, wrote a children’s book, founded a clothing line based on her art, and exhibited her work at the 2022 Venice Biennale.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Diana Stelin Gallery, 1386b Beacon Street, Brookline, United States
USD 23.18 to USD 128.82
