San Francisco Chronicle cheese columnist Janet Fletcher is partnering with Elaine Bell Catering in a new series of cheese classes in California’s Wine Country. Billed as a “World Cheese Tour,” the two-hour classes showcase artisan cheese from a different country or region each time. Over the course of five Thursday evenings, participants will “travel” from France to Italy to Spain, and then back to the U.S. for two sessions. Participants may purchase individual classes or the full tour.

“I’m hoping to give guests an overview of the world’s best cheeses—how they’re made, how to taste them critically and how to understand the different styles,” says Fletcher. “And because so many of the best new cheeses are domestic, I thought they deserved two evenings—East of the Rockies and West of the Rockies.”

Elaine Bell Catering, the acclaimed event-planning firm, will host the classes in its spacious dining room. Guests will be welcomed with an hors d’oeuvre and aperitif before sitting down for the guided tasting: seven cheeses in a range of styles with two appropriate wines.

For both wine-loving locals and Wine Country visitors, the classes offer the chance to taste with an expert. Fletcher is well known for her two bestselling books on cheese (Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying and The Cheese Course, both from Chronicle Books), as well as for her weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle, the nation’s only weekly newspaper column devoted to cheese. She is also the author of Cheese Plate, an iPhone app.

“World Cheese Tour” participants will also receive a one-time discount on cheese from the featured region at Oxbow Cheese Merchant in Napa.

“World Cheese Tour” Details

Format: Sit-down guided tasting with seven cheeses and two wines, different every time

Location: Elaine Bell Catering
776 Technology Way
Napa, California

Dates and Time: All classes are 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday, January 19: France
Thursday, February 2: Italy
Thursday, March 1: Spain
Thursday, April 5: U.S. (East of the Rockies)
Thursday, April 26: U.S. (West of the Rockies)

Price: $45 per class; $200 for the Grand Tour (all five sessions)

Reservations required at janetfletcher.com. Click on Cheese Classes.