- Taste up to 16 wines in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere
- 6 hours of wine tasting and tuition
- Lunch with more wine
- Meet sociable people who share your interest in wine
Our weekend wine tasting courses or ‘workshops’ are designed to appeal to people who would like to learn a bit about wine but don’t have the time to follow one of our evening courses.
They make great Christmas or anniversary presents.
In the space of the one day, we will teach you how to taste properly, how to evaluate a wine and how to describe it using appropriate vocabulary. We will help you understand the factors that influence the style of a wine – climate, grape variety etc. – and give you the confidence to make sense of wine labels and choose wine to go with food.
Lunch with wine is an integral part of the day.
The Four Weekend Wine Tasting Courses:
We offer one general introductory course (‘From Grape to Glass’) and three special interest courses focused on the wines of France, Italy and Spain.
On ‘From Grape to Glass‘, we will take you on a ‘guided tour’ of the great wine producing regions of the world. You will taste up to 16 wines, including classics from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rioja and Tuscany as well as a representative selection from the New World.
From Grape to Glass
10.00 – 10 30: Meet – tea or coffee.
10.30 – 11.30: General introduction. How to taste like a professional. The different styles of wine.
11.45 – 13.15: In the vineyard – the influence of grape variety, soil & climate.
13.15 – 14.15: Lunch.
14.15 – 15.45: In the winery – how the great wines of the world are made.
16.00 – 17.30: Buying, storing and serving wine.
Special Interest Courses
Each of the three special interest courses will give you a deep insight to the wines of the areas concerned. You will taste up to 16 wines, carefully selected to illustrate the key points of the day.
The Wines of France
10.00 – 10 30: Meet – tea or coffee.
10.30 – 11.30: Tasting technique. French wine styles & labelling.
11.45 – 13.15: The wines of the Loire Valley, Alsace & Champagne.
13.15 – 14.15: Lunch.
14.15 – 15.45: The wines of Burgundy & Bordeaux.
16.00 – 17.30: The wines of the Rhone Valley & the South of France
The Wines of Italy
10.00 – 10 30: Meet – tea or coffee.
10.30 – 11.30: Tasting technique. Italian wine styles & labelling.
11.45 – 13.15: Northern Italy – Piemonte, Veneto, Friuli & Alto Adige.
13.15 – 14.15: Lunch.
14.15 – 15.45: Central Italy – Toscana, Umbria, Lazio, Abbruzzo & Marche.
16.00 – 17.30: Southern Italy & The Islands.
The Wines of Spain
10.00 – 10 30: Meet – tea or coffee.
10.30 – 11.30: Tasting technique. Spanish wine styles & labelling.
11.45 – 13.15 The wines of Northern Spain – Penedes, Priorato, Rioja & Navarra.
13.15 – 14.15: Lunch.
14.15 – 15.45: The wines of Central Spain – Ribera del Duero, Toro & Rueda.
16.00 – 17.30: The wines of Southern Spain – La Mancha, Valdepeñas, Valencia & Jerez.
WHAT WILL BE PROVIDED
Tasting glasses, mineral water and water biscuits will be provided. You will taste samples of up to sixteen wines during the course of the day
In addition, you will receive one of our own course manuals. These are very comprehensive and easy-to-understand sets of notes on all the wine producing regions of the world plus advice on buying, storing and serving wine.
Tea, coffee and lunch with more wine will be served as per the course programme.
COURSE TUTORS
Senior members of the Wine Education Service team with the appropriate specialist knowledge and experience.
All are qualified to Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma level, have extensive lecturing experience and travel widely to keep up to date. Most are members of The Association of Wine Educators and/or The Circle of Wine Writers.
