Back To School - Wine School
It's time to start thinking about school – wine school. Consumers in North America are drinking increasing amounts of wine, and simultaneously their thirst for knowledge is growing.Many wine lovers have opted to take a course from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). The WSET is considered to be the gold standard in wine education. The UK based organization has been running courses since 1969 and now offers them in 38 countries and 9 languages. Wine lovers are attracted by the Certificates they receive for successfully taking a WSET course - the Certificates are considered to be formal qualifications in the wine industry.
The WSET offers a series of courses so if you get hooked you can keep progressing up the ladder. The Foundation ($299 for a 1 day course) covers how to taste, food and wine matching, and the characteristics of the major grape varieties. The Intermediate ($800 for a 3 day or 9 week course) is a step up and takes you on a tour of the world’s wine regions. The Advanced course ($1595 for a 6 day or 15 week course) is of serious appeal to the trade professional.
Fine Vintage Ltd offers the WSET courses in Kirkland, Vancouver, Calgary, Victoria, Whistler, and the Okanagan. Most of the courses are instructed by James Cluer, Master of Wine. Since 1953 only 26 people in North America have qualified to become Masters of Wine. “My hope is that people who come to our courses have a great time, taste some awesome wines, and catch the wine bug in a relaxed atmosphere”, he explains. “We give people useful information for buying and enjoying wine, and we entertain.”
The University of British Columbia has endorsed Fine Vintage’s wine courses. “We are known for pouring outstanding quality wines,” explains Matthew Browman, the Calgary instructor. The instructors also use their experience consulting to wineries, luxury hotel chains, major international airlines, and the BC government to add flair to the discussions.
So if you want to continue your education, seated in front of a range of beautiful wines, then sign up for a WSET course from Fine Vintage Ltd.