While wine typically invokes notions of sophistication and class, it hasn't completely escaped negative stigmas: the word "wino" conjures an image of a hobo hunkered over in the street sneaking sips from a wine bottle concealed in a paper bag - not exactly the picture of sophistication. And while this impression is widespread, "wino" is actually derived from the word oenophile, meaning "lover of wine" rather than addict. Local wine club the Rochester Winos is slowly shifting the term back to its original context.

The club's founder, Vincenzo Raffaele-Addamo, wasn't exactly enthralled by the name initially. He had originally decided to call the group the Wine Club of Rochester - something simple with a hint of class - but when his girlfriend, Janice D'Ambrosia, started referring to the group as the Rochester Winos (without reference or pun to the Rochester Rhinos), the name caught on.

"I didn't want to sound like a bunch of drunken winos," Raffaele-Addamo says. "That's a risky name. But people always laugh and think it's fun and it catches their attention."

Raffaele-Addamo started the club in 2005 at his home after another local wine club, the Wine Brats, fell apart. He wanted to create a wine club that was both educational and fun. He started with five or six friends in his house which quickly blossomed to 20, so he decided it was time to make the group official and move to larger venues. The club now has approximately 1,000 e-mail subscribers and 40 members varying in age from their late 20s to early 60s.

"I think it's all evidence of how the wine culture is growing in Rochester," Raffaele-Addamo says. "Especially with the state pushing the Finger Lakes area and a lot of those wineries have been switching over to vitis vinifera grapes and it's helping a lot with tourism also."

The Rochester Winos hold a food and wine pairing event once every month featuring products from area businesses. Raffaele-Addamo talks to restaurants and tells them what the group can afford and what they're aiming to do. Once a restaurant locks in, he begins conversations with wineries (often ones in the Finger Lakes region) and coordinates so that they will provide both wine and a wine expert to come and speak at the event.

"We're able to do a wide range of foods and wines," Raffaele-Addamo says. "We've been to Max at Eastman Place, the Boulevard Inn, and other really nice places, and our foods include items like tuna tartar, beef carpaccio, and steamed mussels. We're doing the real thing here."

The next Winos event is being held at Sanibel Cottage restaurant on Thursday, December 6. While events are typically held on the last Wednesday of every month, Raffaele-Addamo decided to combine November and December's events to avoid conflict with people's holiday plans. The group should resume a normal schedule in 2008.

For Raffaele-Addamo, love of wine isn't just a hobby -it runs in his blood. His parents own Addamo Vineyards in California, his grandparents ran private vineyards in Sicily and he makes his own wines that have won awards at the New York State Fair. And yet he still considers himself an amateur wine lover just like anyone else.

"I have wine skills but I don't consider myself an expert," he says. "There's something in wine for everyone. You can pair wine with different dishes, parties and people. It's so versatile."

For more information on the Rochester Winos, including event, ticket purchase, and membership information, visit rochesterwinos.com.