I’ve been wanting to approach wine in a more systematic way. At some point in the future, I might want to open a small wine store (just sold our own hospitality-based business so have some free time). I know quite a bit about the wines I like and practically nothing about those I don’t (my general approach to life, really). So I’d like to take some formal courses to force myself to fill in the gaps in my wine knowledge.
I’m in striking distance of CIA Napa, and am thinking of enrolling there. Are there any other good places – whether bricks and mortar or on-line – that I should be considering?
Thanks for the info, Poppy. I’ve just had a quick look on-line, and it appears that there are plenty of options for WSET courses in this area also. These courses look far more condensed and intensive than the ones at the CIA – much easier for me to manage time-wise. So I think I’ll sign up for a level II WSET certification course. Looks like a fun way to spend some of my summer!
I’ll put in another vote for WSET. Depending on how much you have already been reading/learning, you might even want to start with Level 3 Advanced. I started with level 2, and I liked the feeling of confidence going into level 3, but given the cost involved, I would skip the former if I had to do it again. Don’t get me wrong; Level 2 is great for a lot of people and might be perfect for you. I had already done a fair amount of studying before I even started.
Thanks for the info. I tend to go narrow and deep when I’m interested in something, and I’ve certainly done that with wine). So I decided to start with level two because, even though some of it will be familiar, I really want to make sure I broaden out my knowledge-base.