Novice 27-year-old Angel Lee dangled her glass of Pinot Noir between her fingers and in a slow, wobbly, circular motion, swirled the mahogany red liquid.

She politely sniffed, as instructed, sipped, as instructed, and began decoding what her nose and palate experienced.

"It's smooth when it goes down. It rolls, stops, then goes down, like a pause," Lee explains.

On another night in the River Market, Lance Sivertsen, a 26-year-old sales representative with Corkscrew Wine Co., pours 2-ounce samples to a youthful crowd of tasters gathered at The Cup and Saucer, another brick-and-oak watering hole.

"Is that awesome, or what?" he gushes to the knot standing before him. "I'd never had Verdicchio until a little while ago."

The Italian Marotti Campi Verdicchio (pronounced ver-de-key-oh) is a varietal grown in the Central Italian vineyards, close to the Adriatic Sea. It was the darling of that night's crowd, for all the right reasons. It has panache, a "new-kid-on-the-block" kind of aura. It was fruity and light and just as drinkable alone as with the right kind of food.

Gen-X drinkers have traded their beer steins for stemware, substituted Merlot for Jell-O shots. Tom Killian, a 29-year-old financial analyst for Blue Cross/Blue Shield who savors a glass of wine with dinner every night, says, "We've moved on from beer to more purposeful enjoyment."

Targeting a New Demographic

They have their own national magazine, Wine X. Their own Web site, winexmagazine.com. And their own wine clubs, including Eau de vie in Kansas City, with their own Web site, ODVkc.com.

They're certainly not slouches. They are licensed dietitians, University of Kansas Medical researchers, ophthalmologists, analysts for the Federal Reserve and lawyers.

And these budding connoisseurs are doing a full-court press to learn more about wine.

Maija Diethelm, 25-year-old co-owner of Boozefish Wine Bar in Westport, is only too happy to help them in their quest. She began her biweekly wine tastings Nov. 5, just about two weeks after opening.

"We'd always planned to do tastings. We wanted to get people acclimated to different wines in a laid-back manner," says Diethelm, whose French father taught her young and well.

"The biggest surprise has been the number of people signing up. People are excited about attending. The sessions are small and people are able to ask more questions. They (the sessions) are laid-back, but you can still learn something."

And it doesn't take long for the younger generation to figure out what they want and don't want in their bottle.

Unlike older drinkers, with their aged palates and fatter wallets, the Gen-Xers want fruit, fruit, fruit. Or as Sivertsen says, they want "in-your-face" flavor.

They shy away from big, tannic wines - taut Cabernets, complicated Bordeauxs. Instead bring on the Merlots, the Pinot Grigios, the stainless steel-fermented Chardonnays.

California wines still have sex appeal, but they fancy Australian wines, now the No. 2 wine importer to America, just behind Italy. Aussie wines are bright, not moody. And Australia itself just looks like a mystical, fun place to hang out. New Zealand wines also are creating quite a buzz. They do bang-up Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

Chris Fuller, restaurateur/chef/wine aficionado at the Northland's Iliki Cafe, has a labeling theory: Folks won't buy it unless they can say it. And read it.

Chardonnay wins out over Viognier. Merlot over Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Alexander Valley over Rheinpfalz.

They want value. Price it under $10 and they're all over it. Over $15 and retailers are scaring away the customer. But the parameters are clear: no boxes and no adult versions of Hawaiian Punch.

Surprisingly, scads of under $10 wines are available, partly because of a wine world glut, partly because lots of new markets are coming to bear.

Think of Argentina, Chile and Spain, countries that have produced wines for centuries. Ramped up interest in wine has motivated wineries there to clean up their production process and reinvest in their vineyards and equipment.

They are also seeking immediate gratification. Buy now, drink now is their modus operandi. And here's a fact to ponder: Two-thirds of all the wine purchased is consumed within 24 hours. Because many of them aren't yet homeowners, Gen-Xers don't have space to lay down a cellar, horde cases of Bordeaus, magnums of champagne.

"My friends try to lay down a cellar, but they may have only 10 bottles. Ten bottles can be gone in one weekend," Fuller says.

Only occasionally is alcohol content a selling point. German Rieslings clock in at 9 percent to 10 percent alcohol, while wines made with America's grape, the Zinfandel, muscles in around 15 to more than 16 percent.

If the goal is to spend a leisurely Saturday on the porch with friends, go German. If the goal is a steak, baked potato and a buzz, then its Zin-time. Young sophisticates

Is it just natural that college students morph from beer swillers and kamikaze shooters to 20-something Zin zealots?

Or is this generation a tad more enlightened than their boomer parents?

And more importantly, is the wine industry ignoring an important demographic?

It just depends on whom you ask.

Ron Lincoln, region manager for Southcorp Wines, importer of 60 percent of the Australian wines sold in this country, thinks yes and yes.

"We (in the wine business) have always been behind the curve. We need a milk council-type campaign, but we can't speak the language of younger people," Lincoln says.

Karen MacNeil, chairwoman of the Professional Wine Studies Program at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, says hooey.

"The Gen-Xers are no different from any other group that went before them. Young people have never represented a huge economic force for the wine industry," MacNeil says.

She says that just like their parents, this age group naturally moves from beer and sweeter cocktails to wine to be more sophisticated. She does argue that there is more interest and more opportunity to taste wines.

At wine tastings around the city there's safety in numbers. Dispensing with at least some of the snob factor, the Gen-Xers see no reason to restrict themselves to their parents' stodgy wine vocabulary.

For 24-year-old Patty Schwab, who lived in Napa Valley for a spell, drinking wine isn't just about drinking wine.

"I love to go and experience the whole phenomenal world of wine," she says. "I love buying it, opening it, sharing it. ...It's beyond beer. ... I've had Opus One (a highly regarded and expensive red wine). And I wonder, 'Why do I deserve such a wonderful thing?' Wine is sophisticated but do-able."

To reach Lauren Chapin, restaurant critic, call (816) 234-4702 or send e-mail to lchapin 1511 Westport Road, (816) 561-5995. Biweekly. Reservations required.

The Cup and Saucer: 412B Delaware St., (816) 474-PERK. First Monday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m. Reservations required.

Gomer's Midtown: 3838 Broadway, (816) 931-4170. Every Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.

Red-X General Store: 2401 W. Platte Road, Riverside, (816) 741-3377. Next tasting is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. March 21. 10 hip wines for under $10