PEOPLE ask me, more often than any other question by far, where to go to learn about wine.

Usually I tell them to go home.

No kidding. The best place to learn about wine is at home, particularly if you stop off at a good wine shop on the way.

What I’m about to propose is a do-it-yourself method that has a lot to offer to just about anybody who loves wine, or wants to learn about it. In fact, if you’ll join in with me, we will take this home wine class together and be the better for it. Let me explain.

Wine classes are best if you already know a little something and have decided that you are enthusiastic enough to pursue a passion. But for beginners they can be daunting, and they tend to teach more about how to describe wines rather than helping you learn what you like.

Books can be inspiring and entertaining, and at some point they are essential. But they pose similar problems for beginners. Do you think you can learn to play golf by reading a book? Of course not. You have to get out there and struggle, for years most likely.

Learning about wine is far more pleasant. All you have to do — almost — is drink it.

My approach does require a little thought and a modest bit of work, though, because you will learn only if you pursue wine systematically.

First, identify a good wine shop near you. If the answer isn’t obvious, ask a wine-obsessed friend for some recommendations. Second, find somebody at the shop with whom you seem to have a rapport and who is passionate about wine. Certain clues will help you gauge the passion. For example, if a salesperson tries to entice you by quoting scores from a consumer magazine, forget it. But if the salesperson explains why he or she loves a particular wine, it’s a very good sign.

Now you are ready to get down to business. Ask the salesperson for a mixed case — six red, six white — and give the shop a spending limit. You don’t need to be extravagant, but it’s not a time to stint, either. I suggest $250, give or take $50.

If the shop is a good one, you will be taking home a guide to the diverse and wonderful forms wine takes around the world. Some you will love, others you may detest. Either way, tasting a range is essential to learning about wine and about your own tastes.

Now comes the fun. Every night, or however often seems right, open one of the bottles with dinner. This is important. You want to drink a wine with food for the full experience.

Just the other night in a Spanish restaurant, I tasted a Rueda, a white wine made from the verdejo grape. On its own it was unexpectedly tart and pungent. With a bite of my shrimp-and-fig tapa, it was softer and more harmonious.

Over time you will gain a pretty good idea of which wines correspond with which foods. A really good wine shop may even have suggested general food pairings with the wines.

You will have to take some notes. Write down the name of the wine, the vintage, what you ate with it, and what you liked or didn’t like about it. It’s even easier than it sounds, especially if you don’t try to use the florid language of wine writers.

As you inhale the aromas and taste the flavors, think in general terms — was it sweet? Bitter? Did the aromas remind you of fruit, or maybe something else? Perhaps it didn’t taste like fruit at all, but like a beautiful sunset. Don’t know that I’ve had a sunset, but it’s evocative, at least.

The most important thing, though, is not how you describe the wine but whether you liked it or not, and whether you felt it enhanced what you ate or clashed with it. When you finish the case, return to the wine shop. Go over your list with the salesperson and, based on what you liked best, ask the shop to put together a second case of different bottles.

With this method you will gain a sense of what wines you like best. Eventually, if it’s fun, you may be motivated to find out even more.

That’s the time to buy a book or take a class, because now you have a context for organizing, understanding and digesting a blizzard of information. You may not be driving the ball 300 yards, or picking out Pomerols from Pommards, but you know what? Very few people do.

Now, as I said, I think this method is great not just for beginners but for anybody who wants to learn more about wine. So I’ve gone out and placed an order for a mixed case of wine on a $250 budget. In fact, I placed not just one order but two, from different shops, to see how the selection of the mixed case might differ and what that might mean.

For my first order, I called Lyle Fass at Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa, an excellent, idiosyncratic shop that specializes in wines of the Loire, Burgundy and Piedmont. I know Lyle, and we share similar tastes for offbeat wines, so I asked him to please put together a case for me as he would for anybody else trying to learn about wine. It turns out that he gets a lot of requests like this.

“All the time,” he said. “It’s the funnest thing in the world.”

Out of curiosity, I also placed an order with a different sort of place, Sherry-Lehmann, the ultimate establishment wine shop. I spoke on the phone with Joy Land, a salesperson whom I didn’t know, but she knew exactly what I was after, and she quickly described her own palate.

“My background and my love is French wine,” Ms. Land said. “I like wines that are very elegant. I don’t like wines that are very big. I don’t like purple wines, or wines that stain your teeth.”

I’ll go along with that, though I do admit I kind of like purple.

I’ve now received both cases and they are similar conceptually, though they differ completely in the particulars. Both contain a Bordeaux, a red Burgundy and a white Burgundy. Both include a riesling and a zinfandel. Both include a sauvignon blanc, a Côtes du Rhône and a red from Italy. Both Lyle and Joy decided that one of the whites needed to be a Champagne.

I’ve got my work cut out for me, and I hope you’ll join me. I plan to keep you abreast of my progress on my blog, The Pour.

If you are newsprint-bound, check back here over the next couple of months and I’ll let you know what I’ve learned.

Homework

Your assignment: buy the following wines and drink them. Take notes. The lists were compiled by Lyle Fass of Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa and Joy Land of Sherry-Lehmann.

LYLE'S CASE

Camille Savès Brut

Carte Blanche NV $36.99

Schäfer-Fröhlich

Nahe Halbtrocken 2005 $16.99

Picq Chablis Vieilles Vignes

2005 $19.99

Boulay Sancerre Chavignol

2005 $22.99

Pépière Muscadet sur Lie

2005 $9.99

Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg

Demi-Sec 2002 $36.99

Maréchal Bourgogne Rouge

Cuvée Gravel 2005 $24.99

Paloumey Haut-Médoc

2004 $21.99

Sobon Estate Fiddletown

Lubenko Vineyard 2005 $19.99

Texier Côtes du Rhône

Brézème 2004 $15.99

Moris Morellino diScansano

2004 $15.99

Baudry Chinon Les Granges

2005 $14.99

JOY'S CASE

Deutz Brut NV $27.95

Selbach-Oster Zeltinger

Schlossberg Spätlese 2002 $22.95

Domaine Guy Roulot

Bourgogne Blanc

2004 $21.95

Villa Maria Private Bin

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

2006 $12.95

Salomon-Undhof Kremstal

Hochterrassen Grüner Veltliner

2005 $9.95

Tablas Creek Paso Robles

Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc

2004 $29.95

Mommessin Gevrey-Chambertin

2003 $34.95

Croix de Beaucaillou Saint-Julien

2003 $31.95

Ridge Sonoma County

Three Valleys

2005 $19.95

Guigal Côtes du Rhône

2003 $10.95

Allegrini Palazzo della Torre IGT

2003 $16.95

Enrique Foster Mendoza Malbec

Ique 2004 $8.95

LONDON, April 10 — Should it be slithery or scrunchy, glutinous or grilled? The answer, British scientists say, may be divined by a formula: N = C + {fb(cm) . fb(tc)} + fb(Ts) + fc . ta.

That is the scientific answer to the question: what makes the perfect bacon sandwich?

And, no, it is not April 1.

Researchers at Leeds University spent more than 1,000 hours testing 700 variants on the traditional bacon sandwich, which many Britons refer to as a bacon butty (eschewing the term sandwich, said to have been coined to honor the fourth Earl of Sandwich’s habit of eating meat between slices of bread around 1762).

For Britons, butties come in a variety of guises — chip butties (French fries between slices of bread), crisp butties (ditto with potato chips) or even sugar butties, which are self-explanatory. None are viewed as especially healthful.

There are some finer points in the language, if not the cuisine. A sandwich containing sausages, for instance, is likely to be referred as a sausage sarnie, while sausages served with mashed potatoes are called bangers and mash.

There is no easy explanation for this.

Even the bacon butty, though alliterative, is sometimes etymologically challenged, as in a recent posting on the Web site of The Yorkshire Post relating to the study at Leeds University.

“Perhaps another few minutes on research would have told them that a butty is a slice of buttered bread with a topping; a bacon sarnie is what they are describing,” said a contributor who signed himself Joey Pica.

But Graham Clayton, who led the research, said the endeavor had been an earnest attempt, commissioned by the Danish Bacon and Food Council, the British subsidiary of a Danish pig producers’ organization, to determine what degree of crispiness and crunchiness made the perfect sandwich.

The company’s announcement of the research last Sunday made no reference to other criteria like cholesterol, carbohydrates or other dietary attributes of the perfect butty. Chloe Joint, a spokeswoman for Danish Bacon’s public relations company, Porter Novelli, declined to say how much the study cost.

The research combined four types of cooking, using grills, pans and ovens, three kinds of oil and four types of bacon — smoked, unsmoked, streaky and thick cut — to establish the preferences of 50 tasters in such matters as the butty’s tactile and aural crunchiness. The study also considered a broad range of condiments (like ketchup and brown sauce) and spreads.

It concluded that the best bacon butties were made with crisply grilled, not-too-fat bacon between thick slices of white bread.

Eureka!

“We often think that it’s the taste and smell of bacon that consumers find most attractive,” Dr. Clayton said in a news release. “But our research proves that texture and sound is just, if not more, important.”

In a telephone interview, he also acknowledged that tasters made comments about fat. “If there was too much fat from the cooking process, that was a turnoff for people,” he said. Leathery bacon was a no-no, too, he added.

“We are programmed to avoid leathery food as old and not very good,” he said. That wisdom does not seem to prevail, however, among some of the more basic vendors of bacon butties at roadside halts or cafes known generically as greasy spoons to denote their customary modes of cooking and hygiene.

In the experiment, some of the tasters sampled between four and six bacon sandwiches a day for three or four days.

And so the formula evolved to establish the amount of force in the bite, expressed in newtons, and the level of noise, expressed in decibels, to make the perfect crunch.

Ideally, Danish Bacon said, 0.4 newtons should be applied to crunch the sandwich, creating 0.5 decibels of noise. The formula uses these values: N = force in newtons; fb is the function of the bacon type; fc is the function of the condiment or filling effect; Ts is the serving temperature; tc is cooking time; ta is the time taken to insert the condiment or filling; cm is the cooking method and C represents the breaking strain in newtons of uncooked bacon.

“It’s not a hoax,” Dr. Clayton said, acknowledging that, a few days ago — on April 1, to be precise — it might have been taken as one.

Für 2 Personen 1 Schalotte, gehackt Butter zum Dünsten 1 TL Zucker 250 g Kürbis, gerüstet, in kleine Würfel geschnitten 125 g tiefgekühlte Marroni, aufgetaut 2,5-3 dl Gemüsebouillon 1 dl Vollrahm wenig Zitronensaft Salz, Pfeffer, Muskatnuss 2 EL Hüttenkäse 1 Schalotten in aufschäumender Butter dünsten. Mit Zucker bestreuen und kurz caramelisieren. 2 Kürbis und Marroni beifügen. Mit Bouillon knapp bedecken und zugedeckt weich dünsten. Leicht abkühlen lassen, dann pürieren. 3 In die Pfanne zurückgiessen und mit soviel Bouillon wie nötig zu einer geschmeidigen Konsistenz verlängern. Bis knapp vor den Kochpunkt bringen. Rahm und Zitronensaft dazugeben und würzen. 4 In vorgewärmte tiefe Teller verteilen. 5 Mit Hüttenkäse garnieren und servieren.

Für 4 Personen Marinade: 3 EL Balsamico-Essig 2 EL Rotwein 3 EL Bratcrème 1 Knoblauchzehe, gepresst je 1/2 EL Oregano und Thymian, gezupft schwarzer Pfeffer, grob gemahlen 4 Rindsfilet-Steaks (je ca. 150 g) Salz 1 Für die Marinade alle Zutaten verrühren. Steaks ringsum damit bestreichen, zugedeckt 1 Stunde marinieren. 2 Marinade abstreifen, beiseite stellen. Steaks salzen, über heisser Glut beidseitig je ca. 4 Minuten grillieren. Dann Rost etwas höher stellen und weitere 5-8 Minuten grillieren (je weniger das Fleisch auf Fingerdruck nachgibt, desto stärker ist es durchgebraten), dabei 1- bis 2-mal wenden und mehrmals mit Marinade bestreichen.

An dieser Einladung kommt in den USA niemand vorbei: «Let's Q» (sprich «kju»). Amerikanisch kurz und knapp für «Lasst uns ein Barbecue veranstalten». Das traditionsreiche Grillvergnügen, die zur heißen Jahreszeit überall in den Vereinigten Staaten aufflammt. Was ist überhaupt ein Barbecue? Auf jeden Fall mehr als Grillen, denn dazu gehört insbesondere das gesellschaftliche Ereignis. Über den Ursprung des nordamerikanischen Barbecues gibt es mindestens so viele Geschichten wie US-Staaten. Eine der Spuren führt zu den Cowboys im 18. Jahrhundert, die sich über dem knisternden Lagerfeuer ihre Mahlzeiten brutzelten. Anderen Quellen zufolge soll das beliebte Flammenfest aus dem Süden des Landes stammen. Langsam garen Bis das Festessen auf den Tisch kommt, vergehen in der Regel Stunden. Denn die hohe Barbecue-Kunst liegt vor allem darin, größere Fleischstücke, etwa Bruststücke vom Rind oder komplette Lachse, über Holz oder Kohle bei minimaler Hitze möglichst langsam zu garen. Dies klappt vorzüglich im Kugelgrill - vorausgesetzt, die kuppelförmige Haube liegt auf. Die hält nämlich die aufsteigende Hitze zurück und garantiert so gleichmäßiges, zartes Durchgaren. Bevor das Fleisch unter die Haube kommt, wird es mit Kräutern, Knoblauch, Tomaten, Limettensaft und Gewürzen rundum kräftig eingerieben. Mops sind spezielle Saucen, die während des Garprozesses unermüdlich auf das Fleisch gestrichen werden und für köstliches Aroma und Saftigkeit sorgen. Jeder «Official Barbecue Chef», der etwas auf sich hält, kreiert für diese Würzsaucen - meist auf Basis von Ketchup - natürlich sein eigenes Geheimrezept. Nicht nur Fleisch von Rind und Schwein eignet sich zum langsamen Garen: Auch Hähnchen, Truthahn und selbst Fische werden dadurch unnachahmlich zart. Unverzichtbare Barbecue-Begleiter sind passende «BBQ»-Saucen, Ketchup und würzige Senfsorten. Leckere Beilagen, so genannte «Sides», dürfen beim Grillschmaus auf amerikanische Art ebenfalls nicht fehlen. Getrocknete Bohnen in allen möglichen Zubereitungen, herzhafte Salate, geschmortes Okra-Gemüse, Maiskolben und frittierte Zwiebelringe passen bestens dazu. Wer jetzt Lust auf eine Kostprobe hat, lädt ein paar nette Leute ein, schnappt sich Grill und Cowboyhut und probiert den «American way of life» aus. Gastgeber und Gäste dürfen sich auf eine ebenso ausgedehntes wie unterhaltsames Brutzeln rund um Feuer und Flamme mit vielen Gesprächen einstellen - denn auch das gehört zum typischen American Barbecue.