EXPENSIVE, elitist and mind-boggling. Just some of the perceptions of wine, as voiced in a survey by an international collection of 20- to 25-year-olds. While the group agreed that wine is now much more acceptable to this age group than it was 10 years ago, winemakers and retailers need to address the drink's complex image. While those surveyed generally perceive wine as refined and sophisticated, they find the range of styles and labelling causes most confusion.

To be fair to this group of twentysomethings, I'd say their comments could be voiced by many older wine drinkers right across the board. Over 53% of adults in Ireland now drink wine but few of us have any great knowledge of varietals or styles beyond what we know we like. This might explain the growth in wine-appreciation courses around the country, designed to quench this thirst for vinous knowledge.

Alongside the Wine Development Board's seven-week courses (www. wineboard.

com), several independent classes are available around the country. Fine-dining restaurant Poulot's in Donnybrook has just launched a series of cookery and wine courses starting in April.

Their six-week wine-appreciation aims to develop a better understanding of the factors that influence the final taste of wine and reveal the secrets to tasting wine and pairing wine with appropriate foods. Each session will last three hours with light refreshments served at the end (www. poulots. ie).

Eminent wine merchant Mitchell & Son run excellent appreciation courses at their wonderful HQ on Kildare St (www. mitchellandson. com) while La Cave, Dublin's oldest wine bar, has a less structured approach. Every week from 30 April they host a tasting class from 6.308.30pm with different topics covered each week. A tasting of eight varietals is followed by cheese and p�t�, making this a good night out at Euro30 per head (www. lacave winebar. com).

Some of Dublin's best offlicences run tasting classes too, with McCabes in Mount Merrion and Foxrock (www. mccabeswines. ie), and The Vintry in Rathgar (www. vintry. ie) especially acclaimed.

If you fancy outclassing the aforementioned twentysomethings without forking out the cash, Good Taste has a cheaper suggestion.

Pick up this month's issue of Food & Wine Magazinewhere wine writer Raymond Blake has just started his first instalment of a free six-part wine course to follow from the comfort of your home.

Rope in a few friends and start your own club. At Euro3.95, it's a bargain, although you'll still need to splash out on a few bottles for tasting!

BALZAC RESTAURANT FORGET all the tales of woe that emanated from La Stampa restaurant in its dying days.

The Jean-Christophe Novelli hoopla did little for the fading icon, which almost slipped into culinary oblivion. Now the wonderful dining room has risen from the ashes, phoenix-like, with a whole new look, taste and style.

In place of the colourful decor comes Balzac, a chic new brasserie, understated in its elegance. The menu has been devised by award-winning chef Paul Flynn, who runs one of Ireland's only true destination restaurants - The Tannery in Dungarvan.

Flynn has created Balzac's brilliant menu using rustic staples with signature twists.

French soup is infused with cider, caramelised onion tart comes with melting Corleggy cheese, mustard-smeared crubeens star with creamy colcannon. Quail pie, slow-cooked beef or pork pot au feu will keep the carnivores smacking their lips, while fish aficionados are also well catered for.

The pi�ce de r�sistance is shellfish fondue for two - a shared mountain of lobster, langoustines, crabs and clams with citrus beurre blanc and tender roasted vegetables. It's a feast fit for a king and, despite costing a king's ransom (�120 between two), is destined to become Balzac's signature dish.

On the plus side, mains average �25 and, with cooking this good and ingredients this carefully chosen, it looks like Balzac plans to become a destination dining room in its own right.

Balzac, 35 Dawson Street, Dublin, Dublin 2, Telephone: 01 6774444 www. lastampa. ie/balzac-restaurant