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Josh Skelly, Chris Cuyler, and Chris Steins

Learn from a sommelier how to taste wine, and what a pleasurable experience it can be. Our goal is to make you quickly feel more comfortable, confident, and excited about shopping for wine, tasting wine, and discussing wine. Within an hour, you'll learn a structured approach for how to taste wine and the three main aspects of wine tasting. You'll also learn a new vocabulary to help you describe wine, identify wine faults, and get the most out of a tasting room experience or when you order from a sommelier at a restaurant.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • A structured approach to tasting wine
  • Three main aspects of wine tasting
  • A vocabulary to help you describe wine
  • How to identify wine faults
  • How to get the most out of a tasting room experience
  • Tips on ordering wine from a sommelier

Syllabus

Talking About Wine
Learn how to prepare for the best wine-tasting experience and the basics, like how to open a wine bottle and hold a wine glass.
Read more

Chris Cuyler, a certified Sommelier and Head of Education at Croma Vera Wines introduces the course and what you will learn.

Know what to avoid before going wine tasting, and how to best prepare yourself for a positive wine tasting experience.

Learn how to hold a glass of wine for maximum enjoyment.

Quiz your knowledge of the basics.

Learn how to correctly open several types of wine bottles, including champagne, and describes different types of wine closures you are likely to encounter.

Learn how to visually examine a glass of wine and what to look for in order to discover more information about the wine you are drinking.

Understand why we swirl wine and three types of aromas you should look for in a glass of wine.

Learn how to combine the visual, olfactory, and tastes you get from wine.

Understand the common words and phrases to use when describing wine, and what certain aromas indicate about the wine.

Learn how to identify wine faults the cause of faults.

Which of the following is not considered a wine fault?

Learn how to get the most out of your next visit to a winery tasting room.

Learn what a sommelier does, what to expect when ordering wine from a sommelier, and the order in which you should pour wine for guests.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Provides a structured approach to tasting wine, which can help beginners develop a more refined palate and appreciation for wine
Teaches a vocabulary for describing wine, which can enhance communication and understanding among wine lovers and professionals
Explores how to identify wine faults, which is useful for both personal enjoyment and professional settings like restaurants or tasting rooms
Offers tips on ordering wine from a sommelier, which can improve the dining experience and build confidence in restaurant settings
Discusses how to prepare for a wine-tasting experience, which may require purchasing wine bottles and glassware that are not readily available

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Reviews summary

Structured introduction to wine tasting

According to learners, this course offers a highly structured and accessible introduction to wine tasting, making it perfect for beginners. Many students praise the instructor, Chris Cuyler, for being engaging and easy to understand. Key highlights include gaining a practical vocabulary for describing wines, learning how to identify common wine faults, and receiving useful tips for visiting tasting rooms and interacting with sommeliers. Reviewers feel the course helps them feel more confident and comfortable when discussing and experiencing wine. While the concise format is appreciated by many for a quick overview, some learners with existing wine knowledge found the content potentially too basic.
Short and to-the-point.
"It's a very quick course, good for a fast overview."
"Completed it in under an hour, wish it was a bit longer."
"Appreciated that it was short and got straight to the essentials."
Offers useful advice for real-world situations.
"Loved the tips on visiting tasting rooms and talking to sommeliers."
"The advice on ordering wine in a restaurant was very practical."
"Useful information that I can immediately apply when going to wineries."
Teaches key terms for describing wine.
"The vocabulary section was incredibly helpful. I can now describe wines properly."
"Finally, I have the words to articulate what I'm smelling and tasting!"
"Learning the right terms made me feel much more confident talking about wine."
Boosts confidence in tasting and discussing.
"I feel so much more confident ordering wine now or trying new bottles."
"It really helped boost my confidence in my own palate and descriptions."
"No longer intimidated by tasting notes or wine lists!"
Instructor is clear, knowledgeable, and engaging.
"Chris is a fantastic instructor - knowledgeable and engaging."
"His passion for wine is infectious, and he explains things clearly."
"The sommelier's expertise and presentation made the course very enjoyable."
Provides a clear, easy-to-follow method.
"The structured approach broke down tasting in a way that finally made sense."
"Loved the step-by-step process, it made tasting less intimidating."
"It provides a simple, effective framework that's easy to remember and use."
Excellent starting point for newcomers.
"This course is perfect if you're just starting to learn about wine tasting."
"As a total beginner, I found this course incredibly helpful and not overwhelming."
"Highly recommend for anyone new to the world of structured wine tasting."
May be too simple for experienced learners.
"Too basic for me, I already knew most of the content."
"If you've done any prior reading or tasting, this might not add much."
"A good refresher, but likely redundant for intermediate or advanced enthusiasts."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in How To Taste Wine - By a Sommelier with these activities:
Review Wine Regions
Familiarize yourself with major wine regions to better understand the characteristics of different wines.
Browse courses on Wine Regions
Show steps
  • Research key wine regions and their signature grape varietals.
  • Create a map or chart of the major wine regions.
Explore 'The World Atlas of Wine'
Deepen your understanding of wine regions with a comprehensive atlas.
Show steps
  • Browse the maps and descriptions of different wine regions.
  • Focus on regions that produce wines you enjoy or are interested in learning more about.
Read 'Wine Folly: Magnum Edition'
Expand your understanding of wine tasting and wine regions with a comprehensive guide.
Show steps
  • Read the sections on wine tasting techniques and vocabulary.
  • Explore the chapters on different wine regions and grape varietals.
Three other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all six activities
Wine Tasting Notes Journal
Solidify your learning by creating a wine tasting notes journal to record your observations and impressions.
Show steps
  • Purchase a notebook or create a digital document for your journal.
  • Develop a template for recording your tasting notes, including appearance, aroma, taste, and overall impression.
  • Taste different wines and record your observations in your journal.
Blind Taste Test Practice
Refine your palate by practicing blind taste tests to identify different wines.
Show steps
  • Gather a selection of different wines.
  • Cover the labels and have someone pour the wines for you.
  • Use the structured tasting approach from the course to analyze each wine.
  • Record your observations and try to identify the grape varietal and region.
Create a Wine and Food Pairing Guide
Apply your knowledge by creating a wine and food pairing guide to enhance your dining experiences.
Show steps
  • Research the principles of wine and food pairing.
  • Experiment with different wine and food combinations.
  • Document your findings in a guide that includes descriptions of the wines, foods, and pairings.

Career center

Learners who complete How To Taste Wine - By a Sommelier will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Sommelier
A sommelier is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, typically working in fine dining establishments, who specializes in all aspects of wine service. This course provides a structured approach to tasting wine, including understanding the three main aspects of wine tasting, learning a new vocabulary, identifying faults, and enhancing the tasting experience, all of which are essential skills for a sommelier. You will learn directly from a sommelier, gaining insight into what a sommelier does, and how to make the most of an interaction with one. Taking this course would help build your foundation for a career as a sommelier.
Wine Buyer
A wine buyer is responsible for selecting the wines that a restaurant, retail store, or distribution company will offer. A wine buyer must be able to identify high-quality wines, understand their characteristics, and make informed purchasing decisions. This course teaches you a structured approach to tasting wine, including identifying faults and understanding different aspects of wine, which builds a foundation for a wine buyer. The vocabulary learned in this course allows for sophisticated wine descriptions, an important skill for someone who buys and recommends wine.
Wine Consultant
A wine consultant advises restaurants, retailers, or private clients on wine selection, pairing, and service. This course helps in building a foundation for a career as a wine consultant by teaching a structured approach to tasting wine, providing vocabulary, and discussing the three main aspects of wine tasting. The ability to identify wine faults, covered in this course, is also crucial for a wine consultant advising clients on product quality.
Tasting Room Associate
A tasting room associate works directly with guests at a winery, leading tastings and sharing knowledge of the wines. The course is very useful here: it covers how to get the most out of a tasting room experience, how to describe wine, and the common vocabulary to use. Working as a tasting room associate is often the first step towards a life-long career in the wine or hospitality industries. This course may be useful as you start your journey as a tasting room associate.
Wine Educator
A wine educator teaches classes or workshops, sharing their passion and knowledge of wine. A wine educator needs to effectively communicate complex concepts, like the three main aspects of wine tasting, and different wine vocabularies. This course can help with becoming a wine educator by providing a structured approach to wine tasting and vocabulary. The course's emphasis on tasting room experiences would also be useful when teaching the art of wine tasting to others.
Wine Sales Representative
A wine sales representative works for a winery or distributor and sells wine to restaurants, retailers, and other buyers. A wine sales representative will find this course helpful as it provides an important structured approach to tasting wine, allowing them to better understand and describe the wines they are selling. The new vocabulary learned will help them to effectively communicate the flavors, qualities, and potential faults of a wine to customers. This course may be helpful in a successful career as a wine sales representative.
Quality Control Specialist
A quality control specialist works for a winery, and is responsible for ensuring the quality of the wine throughout the production process. This course will allow the quality control specialist to better identify both the positive and negative qualities of wine. The skills learned in this course may be useful when identifying wine faults, which is an important part of keeping wine at a high standard of production. This course will develop the skills to be a successful quality control specialist.
Wine Writer
A wine writer researches and writes about wine for various publications or websites. They may write reviews, articles, or blog posts. This course gives a foundation for writing about wine by providing a structured method for wine tasting, which is essential for any wine writer. It also provides new vocabulary and skills in identifying faults, all of which can be communicated effectively in written form. This course may be useful for aspiring wine writers.
Beverage Director
A beverage director is responsible for curating and overseeing all beverage programs, including wine, in a restaurant, hotel, or other hospitality environment. The structured approach to wine tasting provided in this course informs an understanding of wine that a beverage director needs. The skills to identify faults, describe wine, and make informed ordering decisions are all pertinent to the requirements of a beverage director. This course may be useful for aspiring or current beverage directors.
Hospitality Consultant
A hospitality consultant provides advice and guidance to businesses in the hospitality industry, such as hotels, resorts, and restaurants. This course may be helpful for a hospitality consultant because it provides education on wine service, an important part of the customer experience. This course may help a hospitality consultant learn a structured approach to tasting wine, which helps them assist the operations of their clients. The content of this course is likely to be useful in a career as a hospitality consultant.
Restaurant Manager
A restaurant manager oversees all aspects of restaurant operations, including the wine program. They must have a solid understanding of wine, how to serve it, and how to train staff on wine knowledge. This course teaches a vocabulary to help describe wine, as well as tips on ordering wine, which enables a restaurant manager to make informed decisions about their wine program. The course also discusses how to get the most out of a tasting room experience, helpful for training staff. This course may be useful for aspiring or current restaurant managers.
Food and Beverage Manager
A food and beverage manager oversees all aspects of food and beverage service in a hospitality setting. This includes the creation and maintenance of a wine list. This course may be useful by providing a solid foundation in wine tasting, vocabulary, and identification of faults. These skills are valuable when creating a wine menu and training staff. The course also covers ordering wine from a sommelier, a common task for food and beverage managers.
Bartender
A bartender is a hospitality professional who crafts and serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. While bartending is often associated with cocktails, many establishments also have wine on their menus. Taking this course may be useful as the skills of identifying faults, describing wine, and ordering wine from a sommelier, help a bartender provide more knowledgeable service to customers. Additionally, the course covers how to open wine bottles, a skill that every bartender will find useful.
Event Planner
An event planner organizes all kinds of events, which may include wine tastings and wine pairings. This course may be useful as it will help an event planner to better understand wine and how to best plan events around wine. The course teaches a structured approach for how to taste wine, and will help with communicating wine-tasting instructions to attendees. The vocabulary learned will also be useful for describing wines in event planning materials.
Import/Export Specialist
An import export specialist manages the logistics of importing and exporting goods, which may include wine. This course may be helpful to an import export specialist as it provides critical knowledge about wine and its related industries. Understanding the tasting process, vocabulary, and common faults can help an import export specialist when dealing with international clients. This course may improve the ability to communicate with people in the wine industry.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in How To Taste Wine - By a Sommelier.
Provides a comprehensive overview of wine tasting, grape varietals, and wine regions. It's a visually appealing and easy-to-understand guide that complements the course material. It is especially useful for expanding your knowledge of different wine styles and regions. This book is commonly used by wine enthusiasts and those studying for wine certifications.
This atlas provides detailed maps and information about wine regions around the world. It's a valuable resource for understanding the geography, climate, and soil types that influence wine production. is more valuable as additional reading to deepen your understanding of wine regions. It is commonly used as a reference by wine professionals.

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