Bruce Shaw and Sandra Aaronson sit on stools in the back of Wolfe's Wine Shoppe, sipping a light-bodied but intensely flavored old-vines zinfandel.

Shaw makes small talk, clearly charming his date.

''He's giving me all this wine, trying to take advantage of me,'' Aaronson jokes, drawing laughs from a dozen others at the shop's weekly tasting.

Listen carefully. That slurping sound you hear is from all the wine tastings -- a score or more -- happening at shops, restaurants and hotels around South Florida each week.

They're pleasant affairs. For fees that range from nothing to $60 per person, sponsors pour small samples of various wines and provide munchies from simple chunks of cheese to grilled octopus, usually along with a little edification on the evening's pours.

A wine tasting makes a great date. Classier than a movie, more respectful than drinks in some bar -- and yet alcohol, the universal social lubricant, is still there to break the ice.

Here, from north to south, is a sampling of the possibilities.

TOTAL WINE & MORE

Seven bottles of wine are arranged on a small counter in the middle of the store in the recommended tasting order: a chardonnay, two merlots, two cabernet sauvignons and two syrahs -- bolder than the cabs, says the winemaker, and therefore better to drink last.

Harry Alhadeff, the gregarious president of Apex Cellars in Washington's Yakima Valley, is on hand at the Total Wine & More in Fort Lauderdale to walk us through thimble-sized sips of his wares.

The store has tastings every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with most hosted in-house. (The North Miami outlet has a similar schedule.) They might feature a flight of six to eight wines -- perhaps pinot noirs from different wineries or Italian wines from various grapes, says wine associate Bryan Ippel.

They're free and pretty stripped-down -- standing-room only and no nibbles.

• Total Wine & More, 1906 Cordova Rd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-828-9463. Also 14750 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami; 305-354-3270 (snacks served). Weekly tastings 4-7 p.m. Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday; free; totalwine.com.

-- MARJIE LAMBERT

HOLLYWOOD VINE

Dozens of people regularly float into Hollywood Vine's free Tuesday-night tastings, and the crowd is as diverse as South Broward itself: snowbirds and young couples, oenophiles and newbies and, one recent evening, a healthy contingent of Coast Guard officers.

Tastings are themed -- Italian, perhaps, or Bordeaux and the Rhne. Light fare (Italian meat, bread, cheese) is sold deli-style, charged by weight, with $10 covering enough for two.

The vibe is relaxed -- grab yourself a glass, linger over the tasting and join the chatty and welcoming cast of regulars who stick around to buy and drink from the shop's boutique selections.

• Hollywood Vine, 2035 Harrison St., Hollywood: Weekly tastings 6-9 p.m. Thursdays; free; 10-15 percent discount offered on featured wines; 954-922-2910, hvine.com.

-- MATTHEW I. PINZUR

CASA TOSCANA

More than 30 people pack a recent tasting at Sandra Stefani's Casa Toscana wine shop in Miami Shores, gather around tables and getting to know each other over sips and nibbles -- cheese, toast and spread, olives and prosciutto.

Rosalinde Rosado, a sales manager for La Cantina Italiana distributors, led the group through five wines from small vintners, explaining everything from the story behind a particular label to the no-outsourcing philosophy at one vineyard.

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