I'd like to know more about wine. How can I find out more?
Knowing how to decipher and talk about wine is essential for oenophiles. Online courses, hands-on workshops and guided tastings offer immersion in the world of wine. Discover three ways to learn about oenology.
Wine, the French symbol of conviviality (with moderate consumption, of course), has always seemed mysterious to you, and you'd like to know more about it. But where to start? There are many ways to learn about oenology, whether in a wine-tasting class with other people, at home with friends or even on the move with your phone. Here are a few suggestions.
With your wine merchant:
Many wine merchants offer tasting workshops every month. Some wineries even offer year-round tasting courses. In 2019, Le Vingt-Deux, in Montreuil, is launching its wine school. Today, it offers courses on four levels. Alessandra Fottorino, the school's pedagogical director, points out that "the basis of this school is learning with pedagogy, benevolence, exchange and sharing. We leave plenty of room for students to ask questions, assert their feelings about tasting, and also ask questions about environmental and economic issues."
Whether you live in a big city or a small outlying village, you should know that several wine merchants also offer wine boxes for delivery. Marie-Dominique Bradford was the first to launch the principle in France in 2010 with her company Trois Fois Vin. Her customers receive 2, 3 or 6 bottles of wine per month, depending on their subscription. And these bottles don't arrive alone, "an educational booklet accompanies each box", Marie-Dominique explains. "In the booklet, you'll find a double-page spread for each wine, which includes anecdotes and information about the estate and the wine, tasting tips...; but also interviews with the winemakers and their wines.As time goes by, month after month, during their subscription, subscribers learn lots of things along the way, and my past as a teacher comes back to life."
Don't hesitate to visit your favorite wine shop and discover what's on offer. And don't forget that these training courses and boxes are also great gifts.
- Cave le vingt-deux, 128 rue de Vincennes, 93100 Montreuil, France
- Trois Fois Vin, 12 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75003 Paris
With training organizations or appellation syndicates
There are many wine and wine-tasting training organizations. You'll find a wide range of courses to learn the different stages of wine tasting, understand food and wine pairing, or discover a specific region or grape variety. The range is wide, and many of these wine tasting workshops are held all over France. Prodégustation, for example, offers oenology training and wine tasting courses in over 28 towns and cities.
If you live in a wine-growing region, consider getting in touch with the interprofessional organizations for appellations of origin, such as the CIVB (Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bordeaux), the BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne) or the Languedoc wine union. They offer a wide range of training courses to help you discover the region's wines, as well as other themes (wine and cheese, organic and biodynamic wines, understanding wine blending...).
- Prodégustation: www.prodegustation.com
- BIVB: www.ecoleduvindebordeaux.com
- Ecole des Vins du Languedoc: www.ecoledesvinsdulanguedoc.com
With your computer or phone
If you'd prefer to learn on your own or in the comfort of your own home, you'll find a wealth of wine courses on the Internet. For example, the Comité Champagne offers MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in both classic (free) and premium (paying) versions. Through several educational modules presented in the form of short videos, champagne specialists guide you through its history, terroir and production.
Your phone is also a mine of wine information. Launched in December 2023, Winology offers learning through interactive quizzes, organized by theme such as food/wine pairings, viticulture, grape varieties, winemaking, wines of the world, or the art of tasting. Each quiz is designed to offer a smooth progression, enabling users to start at their own pace while finding pleasure in learning. Winology's creator, Nathalie Roudier, tells us that she wanted to dust off the image of wine "by creating a modern, gamified application to attract a younger demographic. The result: 2 out of 3 Winology users are under 34".
- Comité Champagne: www.champagne-mooc.com
- Winology: free application available on App Store and Google Play
There are many ways to learn more about wine. If you'd like to go further and become more professional, you'll find a wide range of training courses on wine production and marketing. Perhaps a future career move?
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