ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
The end of February will bring an evening of tasting and discovery at Liberal’s Baker Arts Center.
Friday, the center is hosting a Wine Pairing Workshop where participants will be guided through the art of pairing wine with cheese and chocolate.
The event will take place in Baker Arts’ kitchen, and Vanessa Keating will offer a variety of wines, and wines for the event have also been donated from a local liquor store.
Baker Director Misty Martin said the workshop’s curriculum is actually based on a degree study area from Washington State University that deals with wine pairing.
“We have some wines from them and also from one of the local liquor stores, and we’ll be pairing those with different cheeses, foods and desserts to learn the uniqueness of each wine and how to taste certain flavors and recognize different things,” she said.
Martin said participants are in store for a relaxing night at Baker Arts.
“It’s a weekend,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to have a night out with some friends. It’s a nice atmosphere and very fun.”
Martin said the evening will likewise will be welcoming for those wanting experience a wine tasting.
“Whether they’re already a wine lover or new, there’s things they can learn and experience,” she said. “Wine is like a person’s life. There are different elements that go into the growing of the grapes and the wine and all of the things that give it character. It’s going to be a great night of experiencing flavors and character and enjoying a cozy night out.”
Martin said a workshop such as the upcoming one was brought about due to patrons asking for different events at Baker Arts.
“People have brought different ideas to us they’d like to try or see happening at Baker,” she said. “It was one of those things when it was brought up we thought we could make it happen.”
March is just around the corner, and Martin said the center has quite a few activities planned for next month.
“We have a baguette class,” she said. “We did a baguette class in January, and it filled up fast. A lot of people requested we offer that again. We have that coming up March 5. We have a beer night with Tortuga. That’s going to happen in the kitchen. We’re going to do a beer tasting with beers and different foods. For spring break, we have Kids Camp we’ll be offering.”
The Wine Pairing Workshop will start at 7 p.m. Friday at Baker. Registration is $40 for members and $50 for non-members. For this event or others at the center, Martin said she recommends going online to www.bakerarts.org or calling the center at 620-624-2810 to register.
“You’ll definitely want to get registered because those fill up fast,” she said. “They can go to the Web site and register there, or they can call. We will get them on the list.”
For more information, call Martin at 620-624-2810.
“I’ll do the best I can to answer any of their questions,” she said.
Martin said she is excited for the upcoming Wine Pairing Workshop this Friday.
“It’s going to be a fun night,” she said. “You are able to get two different experiences with some similar backgrounds and cultures.”
