Wine can feel like a subject with no clear entry point—a wall of unfamiliar place names, grape varieties, and rituals that seem designed to intimidate rather than invite. This course exists to take that wall down. Over ten modules, you will build a working knowledge of wine from the ground up: how it's made, how to taste it with real vocabulary and confidence, which grapes and regions matter most, and how to put that knowledge to use at the table, in a shop or restaurant, and in your own kitchen. This is a self-paced program designed for home study. There is no fixed schedule. Most students move through one module per week, pairing each lesson with the suggested tasting exercise, but you're free to move faster or slower. What matters is that you taste as you go; reading about wine builds vocabulary, but tasting is what builds a palate.

This course was developed by a wine retailer with 30+ years of experience selling to the public. Designed for those with no or some knowledge of wine and for those thrust in a professional position where they need essential tools fast.

How This Course Is Organized 

Each module follows the same structure:

Learning Objectives — what you'll be able to do by the end of the module.

Lesson content - the core teaching, broken into short, focused sections—and key takeaways.

Tasting exercise -- A hands-on activity using wines you can find at almost any wine shop.

Review questions — to check your understanding before moving on.

What You'll Need

A notebook or the tasting log template provided at the end of this course, for recording your impressions. Access to a reasonably well-stocked wine shop or an online retailer that ships to your area. A few plain wine glasses—tulip-shaped, clear, with no cut glass or color. Two to four is plenty. An open mind and a willingness to be wrong about what you taste. There are no wrong answers in a tasting note—only honest ones.