Wine-tasting Lessons With Added Class Besides The Social Get-togethers And The Organized Samplings, There's Accredited College-level Study.

The image many people have of wine tastings and instruction as little more than sociable gatherings may be undercut by the addition of an accredited college-level wine curriculum to the schedule at the Restaurant School.

While many adult-school wine-tasting programs have fallen by the wayside in recent years, more restaurant-based events, often themed as wine-and-food pairings, have developed. The trend emphasizes the growing interest in dining and drinking in the '90s.

This year's sampling of wine and beverage instruction in our area includes a smattering of classes on the brewing of both beer and tea. And there is help for novices eager to master the intricacies of a new espresso machine or juicer, an offering at the Learning Studio.

And if you can't get to the Paul Bocuse tribute at the Ritz, be patient. The lineup of famous foodies due to arrive for the hotel's spring series is no less formidable - including Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck and Mark Miller.

A listing of wine- and beverage-related classes and events follows.

PHILADELPHIA AND PA. SUBURBS Adult School Night for Chester County Box 686, West Chester, 19381; 610-692-1964. Classes, 7 p.m. Wines of France, four Mondays from Oct. 5, at La Cocotte in West Chester, $83. Octoberfest dinner & tour, Black Angus restaurant and Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m., $48. Winemaking, Jim McHale, four Wednesdays from Oct. 7 at Great Valley and Beer Unlimited, $76. Wine appreciation, three Wednesdays from Oct. 7, $58 & four Wednesdays from Oct. 28, $78, at Henderson and Brandywine Gourmet.

Albertson's Cooking School Box 27, Wynnewood, 19096; 610-649-9290. At Yangming Restaurant, Bryn Mawr, 7:30 p.m., with Gregory Moore: Wines of the

world, Jan. 7 & March 18, $40 each. Wine-food pairing, 5-course dinner, Jan. 20, $75.

American Institute of Wine & Food Box 643, Jenkintown, 19046; 215-634-4463. Four Seasons food-wine tasting and kitchen tour, master chef Jean-Marie Lacroix, Nov. 4, 4:30-6 p.m., $50.

Beer and Wine Festival at Penn's Landing, Sept. 27, 1-6 p.m., benefiting Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (215-396-9100). Tastings and information. Must be 21 or over. In advance, from Ticketmaster, $10; day of event, $15.

Bucks County Community College Swamp Road, Newtown, 18933; 215-968-8409. Training for intervention procedures, certification for alcohol-beverage servers, Oct. 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., $58.