Our classes are offered in a comfortable setting with an outstanding selection of wines supporting the WSET core lesson plan.

The Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is considered one of, if not the, most prestigious routes to wine education available. Lyn is leading several courses this year for Fine Vintage, Ltd., the most comprehensive WSET provider in North America - including this one-day Level One course. (This course is followed by a three-day class leading to a certification at Level Two, and Level Three is being offered in a six-day course taught by both Lyn and Fine Vintage's founder James Cluer, MW, in the Fall.) Each of our courses has some essential hallmarks -- an excellent selection of wines, a proven course plan and, in Lyn Farmer, an instructor applauded by many students for his easy going style and ability to convey information in a manner that is easy to comprehend and retain.

Who is this class for?

The Level One course is a "foundation course" that is ideal for everyone who loves wine and wants to understand it better. This full-day course focuses on learning the art of wine tasting (including demystifying the vocabulary you might have once found daunting), pairing food and wine, and exploring the characteristics of the major grape varieties with intensive exercises. We also delve into grape growing and winemaking, and serving and cellaring wine.

In brief, this class is for anyone who loves wine and wants to understand their passion better. It is also a wonderful starting point for anyone just beginning their exploration of wine. What is wine? Why does it taste the way it does? How do grape varieties differ? This class is the perfect place to hone your wine sensibility, whether your interest in wine is as an occasional consumer hoping to demystify a wine list when you go out to dinner, or a culinary professional looking to expand your wine knowledge beyond the basics that are part of culinary training. It's a full-day course that includes tasting 18 world-class wines from Vintage Champagne to classic wines from Spain, France, Italy and the United States. We are particularly proud of the high level of quality wine we serve in the Fine Vintage WSET courses — we strongly believe you cannot understand wine without having classic examples to taste.

An important benefit of the Level 1 class is the opportunity to fully explore WSET's systematic approach to wine tasting and evaluation. Prepare to be amazed at the skills you will develop through the day's guided tastings of 16 wines. This approach is expanded on in Levels 2 and 3, so this is a fine place to build a framework for tasting and, better still, for sharing your impressions of wine.

The course concludes with an exam that, when passed, provides you with a Level One Certification from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Increasingly, restaurants, importers and distributors want their representatives to have a verifiable certification of their interest in and knowledge of wine. There is no more respected, nor globally recognized, certification than that from WSET.

For more information on the Level One course, click here to open a new window on the Fine Vintage, Ltd. website. And to register for the course with Fine Vintage click here. One caveat is in order: if you want to take this class, you are well-advised to sign up as soon as possible. It's easy to put things off, but registering early gives you time to receive all your materials and to prepare for the class — if at all possible, you will want to read through the text at least once before you come to class. This course is offered at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables Florida. We hope to see you there and share great wine with you!