Tasting wine is a joy, a pleasure and a passionate pursuit and while I don't believe it should be a pretentious endeavor, I do believe it is possible for any taster to hone her analytical skills, to enhance his appreciation of what is in the glass by understanding where the wine came from, how it was made, why it tastes the way it does, and why one likes (or just as importantly, doesn't like) the wine.

Why? For one thing, understanding wine greatly increases your odds of getting to drink wines you love because you understand what you want. And it's also fun. Wine is a great vehicle for sharing, and in a good wine course, you'll not only learn about wine, you'll meet like-minded people, some of whom may become regular tasting partners as you develop your skills and increase your pleasure. You'll find more reasons to take a wine class here

It's my pleasure to work with several WSET providers, including Florida Wine Academy in Miami, Vitis House in Raleigh and Fine Vintage, Ltd, North America's largest provider of courses of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, in Charleston, Chicago and New Orleans among other cities. On the individual course pages I list upcoming dates when I’ll be teaching for WSET and local providers.

WSET and Great Wine

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust was created nearly 70 years ago to provide dependable, consistently high quality wine education to both consumers and the wine and hospitality trades. Today, a certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust is considered the gold standard of wine education with its broad emphasis on how wine is made from vineyard to glass, why it tastes the way it does and how best to describe and communicate what you are tasting. Whether you are a complete novice beginning your wine adventure with a Level One foundation course, honing your existing skills in Level Two, pursuing an advanced certification with Level Three or plan to go all the way to achieving the coveted Diploma, WSET has a wine course that is a perfect fit for you. In addition to the WSET curriculum I also lead many seminar and masterclass for wine-producing regions of Austria, France, Italy and Portugal among others.

The Courses We Offer

To learn more about a particular course and the date(s) it is being offered in your city, or to register for one of our entertaining programs, follow the links below.

WSET Level 1 Award in Wine - the "Foundation Course"

This is WSET's introductory course, ideal for everyone who likes wine and wants to learn more about it. This qualification provides a hands-on introduction to the world of wine. You’ll explore the main types and styles of wine through sight, smell, and taste, while also gaining the basic skills to describe wines accurately, and make food and wine pairings.

WSET Level 2 Award in Wine - the Intermediate Course

This intermediate course is given over two full days of tasting and discussion. By the end of the course, you'll have tasted more than 30 wines to give you a solid grounding in the world of wine. Click the button for a full description of this entertaining and informative course. Please note that you can often take Level 2 immediately after Level 1 - you don't need the results from your Level 1 exam to register. Or, if you prefer, you can start directly with Level 2 as long as you have some familiarity with wine - it’s a great adventure!

WSET Level 3 Award in Wine - the Advanced Course

This advanced course is designed for avid consumers as well as people in or who hope to enter the wine trade. WSET mandates a minimum of 32.5 hours of classroom study for the Level 3 but you will want to devote many hours to study at home to be confident before the exam.