Kimberly Nelson | Co-Editor In Chief

Graduating seniors at Buena Vista University (BVU) were given the opportunity to learn about wine etiquette at the Wines of the World Event on Wednesday Feb. 26. The event was sponsored by the Department of Student Affairs with the main purpose to educate students in drinking responsibly and choosing the appropriate wine for certain events.

Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Meg McKeon states that the event allows students to advance their skills in professional interactions.

“When you go out into the work world, often times you are thrown into these receptions where there is wine or you may be the person at a dinner or event where you’re asked to choose a wine and so I think it’s good knowledge to have,” McKeon said.

Student Affairs partnered with Sodexo and Hy-Vee in Storm Lake, Iowa to create the optimal experience of wine tasting for seniors. Black tablecloths lined the belly bar tables that populated the inside of the Dows Conference Center. Around the outside were six different stations that featured wines from six different regions and appetizers to complement their tastes. The appetizers also fit the theme of the region in which the wine was located.

“We’re doing two wines along with two hors d’oeuvres from each of those areas,” General Manager of Sodexo Ken Allen said. “It’s going to be about an hour of mingling, sampling, and trying to find a wine that you like.”

Locations of the wines included France, Germany, Italy, Chile and Argentina, California, and Iowa. Wines were provided by Hy-Vee, all of which carried different tastes. Wine and Spirits Manager at the Storm Lake Hy-Vee Foods Store Dan Hartman said that students will find that some of the wine may not be as appealing as others.

“I think students are going to get a wide variety of things to try,” Hartman said. “I’m sure the sweeter ones will be taken more friendly tonight, but as people progress in their wine drinking they go from more sweeter wines to drier, more full-bodied wines.”

While the event was meant to be a light-hearted event for seniors, Allen states that the message for the night was about education on etiquette.

“When you leave here we want you to be a little more comfortable and competent in your behavior and how to act in a social etiquette reception setting,” Allen said.

Photos by David Ekstrom