NOT JUST FOR SNOBS >>>

What pairs best with salmon, a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot? And what is the best wine to serve with pork. Red or white?

As it turns out, questions like these aren't just for wine snobs. According to Nick Coughran, the owner of Tacoma's Cork Wine Bar, learning about wine can be a leisurely, fun-loving experience. Also an experience perfectly suited for singles.

"At wine tasting events, you get the opportunity not only to learn about the wine, but also to talk and interact with those around you," says Coughran.

Wine tasting events are offered in many places around the South Sound. From leisurely tableside events to more formal tasting rooms, wine tastings teach the basics of wine, such as the difference in grape varietals, understanding a wine label and to how to properly taste the wine. Most wine tastings are suitable for novice wine drinkers and foster a friendly, come-as-you-are atmosphere. 

"These are comfortable settings," says Coughran. "There are no bad questions."

Cork offers a tableside wine tasting event every Thursday night. Throughout the night, patrons are served three or four different types of wine. They are told about each wine and how it might pair with something on the menu. The wine tasting is free with the purchase of a meal, and full glasses of are available for a special price.

Throughout the night, Coughran encourages wine tasters to give feedback about the wine. 

"It becomes an opportunity for us to get feedback from our customers," says Coughran. "They get to tell us what they like and don't like about the wine."

Coughran believes Cork's Thursday night tastings make for a great first date. The friendly, interactive atmosphere can go a long way toward breaking the ice associated with first-time romantic meetings. Wine tastings automatically provide ready-made topics of conversation.

"By tasting wine with a date or a partner, you already have a shared topic of conversation," says Coughran.

For those interested in formal, sit down wine tasting classes, Coughran says Cork offers larger, private events for groups. He recommends Wildside Wine, Wine Bank and Pour at Four for weekly or monthly wine tasting classes. But for those just getting into tasting their wine, he said a tableside tasting is more than adequate. Plus, cork has recently started pairing wines with Dulce Cupcakes for Thursday night deserts. A treat, Coughran says, that's a can't miss.

And with Cork's food menu starting at just $8, it's also a fairly inexpensive way to dip a toe into the wine tasting world.

"I hope more and more singles get out here," says Coughran. "It's a nice casual time."

[Cork Wine Bar, wine tasting every Thursday night, 606 N. State St., Tacoma, 253.212.5593]

LINK: South Sound wine tastings, deals and events