Bottle of red, bottle of white.

Decisions, decisions.

In choosing the right wine for a meal or special occasion, where can an individual turn to?

Cyclone Liquors.

Every year, beginning in the first week in September and continuing through the first week in November, and once again in late January through May, Dennis Gano and Roger Esser of Cyclone Liquors offer wine tasting classes to the Ames community.

Held every Tuesday or Wednesday starting at 7 p.m., barring any distractions, groups of 12 people converge on the newly-remodeled wine tasting room in the back of the store.

“A lot of people have shown interest over the years,” Gano, Cyclone Liquors owner, said. “And we’re here to help.”

Gano said interest in wine usually begins slowly because people are intimidated, almost scared, to ask questions about the product. But through the rapport the store has been able to develop over the years people have really opened up, and once they get into a group, realize they’re not the only ones with questions.

“People get to see each other regularly, and more often than not take the continuing classes as a group,” Gano said.

Esser said the popularity for the classes has been well received.

“We’re all booked up through the end of the year,” Esser said. “And we will hold special connoisseur classes if there is enough interest about a specific wine from the existing classes.”

Past connoisseur classes have included wines from Italy, California, Austrailia and France.

Esser said Cyclone Liquors offers four introduction to wine classes each semester in which members get to sample a variety of wines to familarize themselves with the products.