The 5pm Dining blog has always thought that one of the best things about autumn is that it’s the ideal time of year for cosy wine tastings.

The nights may be drawing in and the cold weather is menacing the horizon but everything seems that little bit warmer with a table of red wine in front of you.

Expert sommelier

Edinburgh’s Divino Enoteca have a tasty program of wine master classes lined up for the next few months.

Taking place in the atmospheric Entoria room, their events are led by their expert sommelier, Silvio Praino. You may recall that we did a video interview with Silvio.

The next class looks at wines from the mountainous Abruzzo region by the Adriatic.

The most notable wine and shining star of the region is Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which, together with Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, is one of the most widely exported DOC wine from Italy.

If you want to taste your way to expertise, the Abruzzo master class is on Tuesday 20th October, 5.30pm-7pm. Four wines with antipasti are £20pp.

Seductive Pinot Noir

On Tuesday 3rd November, Silvio will be turning his attention to Pinot Noir, sometimes referred to as the most seductive of wines.

Not long after that, Saturday 14th of November looks like being a fun afternoon as four sparkling wines are investigated.

The original Great Nebbiolo date on Tuesday 17th November is already full – there are just fourteen places for each class – so an additional date has been added on Wednesday 18th November.

Nebbiolo is the quintessential Piedmontese wine grape and the powerhouse of the mighty Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

Contemporary Italian

Of course, if you like the wines at Divino then you will almost certainly love the food. You can book in here.

A typical main course on the a la carte would be the balsamic-glazed lamb rump with grilled artichokes and aubergine, confit cherry tomatoes, all served on a buttered-baked potato fondant with rosemary and balsamic jus.