No, John, no formal classes but I started making wine in 1948 with my Father, Grandfather and Uncles. We would make as much as 5 barrels per year for the whole family. Iwas involved in making wine every year fromthen until about 1976 when I moved out of the Pittsburgh area. I took up the hobby again in the early 1990's in Rochester, New York until I retired and moved to Ohio (to be near our Daughter and Grandchildren) in 1999. Up to this time, everything was made from grapes or other fruits, e.g. cherries.
I just recently got back into the hobby and started using wine kits. Everything that I thought I knew about wine making was based what I was told by my family and other Italian wine makers. I have learned a lot since January on this forum. I do have three or fourwine books and everything that is in these books is also found either on this site or others on the internet. Also on the net, there are a number of videos that are also helpful.
My perspective on wine tasting is simple: If I like it, (to me) it is good wine. If I don't, (to me) it is not. I don't much care for wines that taste great to "an expert" if they do not taste great to me.