5 Best Online Wine Courses To Expand Your Knowledge
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There was a time when online learning was limited. There were few institutions and colleges that provided virtual courses and they didn't cover tangible topics.
The pandemic quickly changed how and what society was learning online as it was all we had for a few months — it seemed to stick. Today's online courses cover everything from culinary demos with Michelin-starred chefs to how to buy, taste and appreciate wine from a master sommelier.
When it comes to the latter: There are more options than ever for wine enthusiasts to sign up for an online course, whether they want to spend a one-off hour learning about the aromas of wine or they want to enroll in a multi-month program to obtain an advanced certification.
Regardless of which style of course you choose, be sure to have a few bottles of wine on hand so that you can sip, swirl and learn accordingly; no matter how intensive these courses are, you won't be able to absorb much through the screen by just taking notes as wine education involves the five senses.
Below, discover five courses that cover everything from the basics for the casual connoisseur to the process of working toward a degree or sommelier certification.
For a fun, approachable way to learn the basics (and more) about wine, Léa Gatinois DipWSET, created this online platform that features everything from aroma wheels to tiered programs that break down wine tasting, wine production and world wine regions. She presents all the tools you'll need for studying from flashcards to workbooks — all printed on recycled paper — at a reasonable price for wine lovers who want to whet their palates with more technical information.
Wine Folly is an invaluable source for beginners to read more about grape varieties and regions as their content is written by wine experts and reviewed by educators. But for someone who needs more interaction than reading, they also offer guided wine courses and certifications for both beginners and advanced learners. 'Master the Basics of Wine' is their eight-module, introduction course that covers wine's history, choosing glassware and tips on storing wine, but they also offer individual 101 courses that cover specific varieties or regions if you're solely focused on learning about your favorite wine style. The more advanced courses hone in on particular countries like their French Wine Course, which explores the 12 major wine regions of France over five hours of video content and four real-world challenges.
This online streaming platform includes a portfolio of hundreds of video lessons taught by over 200 of the world's top talent ranging from entrepreneurs to chefs to actors, and naturally, wine. James Suckling, renowned as one of the most influential wine critics, teaches Wine Appreciation over a series of 11 video lessons that members can take at their leisure. The course is all about immersing students into the significance of wine beyond the glass and to view it as an agricultural product that livelihoods rely on; to showcase this, Suckling hones in on the stories and personalities behind some of Tuscany's iconic vineyards. Master sommelier Emily Wines also leads her own course, 'A Sommelier's Snob-Free Guide to Wine,' which focuses on wine as an experience not the price tag over 12 video chapters. She educates on how to sip, score, and save on great wine while debunking myths around the pretension of wine.
In the world of wine, there are few universities as renowned for their wine degrees as UC Davis. Though the California university appears on the resumes of some of the most respected winemakers and viticulturists, if you're remotely interested in their approach to wine education, you don't need to enroll in an entire degree. UC Davis offers a Winemaking Certificate Program that spans two years over five 10-week periods. The length may seem daunting at first, but if you're serious about winemaking, it's definitely a way to realize you're in the right place — and they even offer a free sample course to assure you of that.
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) was established in 1969 as a charitable organization to provide wine education for the UK wine and spirits trade. Today, their certifications are still trusted by all careers that touch wine such as vineyard marketing, sales, and front of house hospitality. The series of WSET qualifications ranges from WSET 1 certification up to WSET 4, otherwise called DipWSET or Diploma in Wine, and are available directly through the organization or through their network of 800-plus Approved Programme Providers (APPs) in more than 70 countries. All the courses offer a comprehensive approach to learning about wine that concludes with a test that, if passed, results in your certification of that level.
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