Wine and Dine

Planning a party? Here's a fun way to choose the vino you'll serve: Visit House Wine in Worthington, a welcoming destination for sampling. The wine boutique has a classification system categorizing wines by weight and style, and bottles are grouped by food theme to match the drink to your menu. (You'll find these categories: pork, beef, Asian/takeout, Italian, seafood and poultry.) "It makes wine buying easy," says owner Donnie Austin. "If people are intimidated, we try and make them feel more comfortable." The shop also boasts a tasting machine, where customers can try a selection of wine by the ounce before they buy. Or, turn the experience into a girls' night out: Thursday Night Tastings, held every week from 6 to 9 p.m., offer guests a chance to sample a variety of wine, cheese and flatbreads for $15. "It's an easy-going tasting-you can learn as little or as much as you want," Austin says. "We try to keep everything consumer-friendly."

House Wine is located at 644 High St. in dowtown Worthington. For more information, call 614-846-9463 or visit HouseWine.biz.