An in-depth knowledge of wine can enliven humdrum dinner parties, just as an in-depth knowledge of dynamite fishing can enliven foundering job interviews. Give palates an executive education with today’s Groupon: for $39, you get a wine-tasting class for two at Giorgio’s Brick Oven and Wine Bar (up to a $108 total value). The class includes:

• Tasting portions of 10 wines, including five reds and five whites (an $18 value/person)
• A shared Italian appetizer platter including meats, cheeses, and mini cheese pizzas (a $37 value)
• A bottle of wine to take home (up to a $35 value)<p>

Giorgio’s Brick Oven and Wine Bar’s experienced connoisseurs impart the subtleties of vino as customers sip fine wines and clear palates with appetizers along a dark wooden bar. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, patrons sip full-bodied reds and delicate whites at 5:30 and 9 p.m. tastings as instructors share the secrets origins of flavors, suggest pairings, and field questions about removing grape stains from jelly jars. Between vintages, attendees can munch on a shared group platter of appetizers, defending Italian meats and cheeses from mini pizzas invading plate borders due to their bite-size Napoleon complexes. Black-and-white art photography hangs on the stylish bar’s white walls, and phalanxes of fine-wine bottles line wooden shelves behind the bar above a full selection of liquor. Each pair of patrons takes home a bottle of wine from French or Italian regions after the event to stage tasting reenactments for houseplants.