Celebrating a promotion, corporate takeover or stock split? What about toasting a 50th anniversary? Or planning a casual get-together to relive your college days with former classmates?

A Cornell University wine education and management professor says each occasion calls for a different wine, whether it be a Merlot, a Reisling or a Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Often a wine's price and quality make it appropriate for a particular celebration. It's sort of like putting on a tuxedo and tails for a black-tie event," says Steve Mutkoski, the Banfi Vintners Professor of Wine Education and Management at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. "You wouldn't don formal wear to go to McDonalds."

Mutkoski warns consumers that a celebration wine may go for upwards of $100 a bottle if ordered at a restaurant. "But if you're celebrating your win in the lottery, price probably will not matter."

Mutkoski's tips on what wines to serve and when are contained in three new CD-ROM tutorials-- The German Wine Professor, The Napa/Sonoma Wine Professor and The New York Wine Professor. Developed by Mutkoski and his wife, Patricia, a former high school science teacher, "The Wine Professor" series, which includes a CD-ROM package on Bordeaux wines released earlier, offers the basics for the novice wine consumer and more in-depth information for the wine connoisseur and industry professional. Software packages for MAC and IBM (Windows) are priced from $49 to $79.

Each interactive computer software package contains color photographs, maps, recipes, audio pronunciations of labels and even video clips showing how to pull a cork and pour and taste a wine properly.

This "how-to" video will be especially helpful for anybody whose anxiety level heightens as the waiter or waitress approaches with bottle in hand.

"Survive the ritual of wine selection and service in a restaurant and you will almost always leave with a positive impression on those you are dining with," Mutkoski said.

Aside from the do's and don'ts of wine selecting and serving, Mutkoski's software program is full of facts and data about wine that will enlighten even the most discerning wine enthusiast.

Users can tour vineyards, view photos of plate presentations and learn how to read a wine label from their desktop computers. The software also features a special file that allows users to keep their own records and ratings of wines they've tasted.

After a spin through the titles, users will know the difference between the Rheingau and the Rheinhessen, between Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, between Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild.

Not only will you be able to order the appropriate wine and pronounce it correctly, but you'll also be able to tell your dinner companions about the vineyard where the wine came from.

The German Wine Professor covers all 13 wine regions of Germany with over 3,000 color photos and video clips with wine and food personalities like Stuart Pigott and Johannis Selbach. The software contains information on 260 German labels, such as the producers, vintage grape varieties, drinkability and serving suggestions.

The Napa/Sonoma Wine Professor covers two of California's most important wine regions. More than 1,000 photos and video footage of Napa Sonoma allows viewers to tour these wine regions. And over 500 labels are paired with more than 400 recipes.

The New York Wine Professor includes 800 color photos and video footage of New York's four wine regions, and matches 125 New York wines with more than 250 recipes.

The Bordeaux Wine Professor is a self-guided tutorial of all 57 Bordeaux appellations and more than 250 wines from the Bordeaux region of France.

Mutkoski, a member of the Cornell faculty since 1972, teaches what is arguably one of the most popular college courses offered in the United States -- Introduction to Wines. Registration for the two-credit class is decided by lottery and enrollment is more than 800 students each semester.

Mutkoski also lectures throughout the world on food and wine and holds memberships in numerous associations, including the National Restaurant Association, the Society of Wine Educators and the Association Internationale des Maitres Conseils en Gastronomie Francaise. He is a consultant to Silver Sea Cruise Line, where he designed a wine education program for passengers and staff.

For more information about the Wine Professor series call E-8 Publications at (607) 257-7610.