When you sit down with a glass of wine after work this evening (or around 2 p.m. if you’ve had the sort of week I’ve had) take a moment to reflect on how that wine got there. Do you think that somebody threw some grapes into a vat, a couple of young maidens stomped on them and then somebody else poured the juice into bottles? No, no that’s not how it works at all. Well, maybe that wine with a footprint on the label, but in most cases, winemaking is an exact science.

Which is the premise behind the Science of Wine at the Orlando Science Center. The event on Saturday, May 9, is the fifth annual event that puts an educational twist on food and wine tasting.

Oh, don’t make that face. It isn’t like going to school. You still get to walk around and sample about a hundred wines, and nibble on foods from some of the restaurants that will be there. But there will also be some displays that explain the scientific processes that go into growing grapes, fermenting the juice and blending the wines. There will even be an exhibit by WFTV meteorologist George Waldenberger on how weather affects wine.

If you’d like to delve in deeper, there is a seminar before the grand tasting presented by Thom Horsey, national wine educator for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. OK, that part is a bit like going to school, but you still get to taste wines during class.

The seminar is from 5 to 6 p.m. and is followed by aquestion and answer period, after which class will be adjourned to the main event at 7. Tickets are $85 per person or $70 if you’re a member of the Orlando Science Center. You can purchase tickets and get more information at this website.

Oh, there will be entertainment, too, and cigar rolling. Maybe nearby Florida Hospital will have an exhibit of a smoker’s diseased lung. That would be educational.