Wine Course Bristol & Bath:

Level 1: An Introduction to Wine - 4 Week Course

The Introduction to Wine course is designed for anyone and everyone who enjoys wine and wants to learn more, regardless of your background level of knowledge and experience, as numbers are kept purposely small to allow us to answer questions as we go and give individual attention if required.

1 - The Science of Taste - An introduction on how to taste and assess wine, building vocabulary and confidence

2 - An Introduction to Terroir - The impact of soil, climate and human influence on wine style

3 - The White Wines of The World - An introduction to key white wine grape varieties, main styles and where they are produced

4 - The Red Wines of The World - An introduction to key red wine grape varieties, main styles and where they are produced

You will leave this course with an expanded knowledge of the wider world of wine having experienced a tutored tasting of 24 wines from around the world in a small group over 8 tutored hours with a professional wine educator, and boosted confidence to further experiment and explore new and interesting wines on your own. All students will be presented with a Bristol Wine School: Level 1 Certificate upon successful completion of the course, and will be eligible for a discounted place on our Level 2: The Wines of France 4 Week Course

COURSE CONTENT

WEEK 1 | THE SCIENCE OF TASTE
In our introductory week, we focus on basic principles to build on over the following sessions as we look at the building blocks of how we taste, how to assess and describe wine with confidence, how to spot a wine fault, how wine is made (from berry to bottle), how to understand wine jargon and why it is used, how understand labels and how to serve and store wine.

We'll take our first steps into the world of food & wine pairing and debunk some popular myths and misconceptions, with a focus on single-grape variety wines in a diverse range of styles to help you build your knowledge, experience and confidence.

WEEK 2 | AN INTRODUCTION TO TERROIR
Building on what we covered in week one, we take a fascinating look at the impact of climate, topography, and production techniques on wine style by focussing on just two different grape varieties tasted 'blind'. In this eye-opening session, we'll compare styles from different parts of the world at different price and quality points and produced using different methods. 

We'll take a look at old world vs. new world, wine laws, appellation systems and understanding labels along the way and further develop your skills and confidence with wine tasting, vocabulary and analysis.

WEEK 3 | The White Wines Of The World
This week we'll look in some detail at the 'noble' and classic white wine grape varieties, looking at their flavour profiles, ageing potential, key styles and regions around the world.

We'll take a deeper view into how white wines are made and look further at the impact of production techniques and other factors on wine style, considering food matching potential for each grape and its different styles as we go.

Along the way, we'll show you how different sweet and fortified wines are produced and the suitability of each grape for these styles, as well as furthering your knowledge of different wine regions around the world and expanding on your palate awareness and wine vocabulary.

WEEK 4 | The Red Wines Of The World
Following up on our look at white grapes, this week we explore the 'noble' and classic red wine grapes used around the world, looking at their flavour profiles, ageing potential, key styles and regions around the world. We'll take a deeper look into how red wines are made and discuss the art of blending and the reasoning behind it, as well as a further study on the impact of oak and bottle ageing on wine style. We will consider food and wine matching potential for each wine as we go in, and further develop your skills of wine vocabulary, tasting and analysis.

WINE GRAPES YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT INCLUDE:

Albarino | Chardonnay | Cabernet Franc | Cabernet Sauvignon | Chenin Blanc | Gamay | Gewurztraminer | Grenache | Malbec | Merlot | Muscat | Nebbiolo | Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris | Pinot Noir | Riesling | Sauvignon Blanc | Sangiovese | Semillon | Syrah/Shiraz | Tempranillo | Viognier | Zinfandel

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COUNTRIES YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT INCLUDE:

Italy | France | Spain | Germany | New Zealand | South Africa | USA | Chile | Argentina | Australia

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WINE TYPES & STYLES YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT INCLUDE:

Sparkling Wine | White Wine | Rose Wine | Red Wine | Sweet Wine | Fortified Wine

"The Introduction to Wine course turned my whole world upside down. I thought I knew what I liked – but you introduced me to new grapes and new styles of wine. Your passion and knowledge are infectious; the classes were informative, liquid and enormous fun!” - Chris Kenber

"Thanks for the course! it has been excellent and far beyond what I expected. I can now select a wine with more understanding, and I now know why I like what I like so I can choose with more confidence. A long way to go still and lots of tasting to look forward to, but the course has given me the knowledge I wanted to make good start. " - Lynne Elvins

THIS COURSE MAKES A PERFECT GIFT! 

You will be given an option to select your purchase as a gift in our checkout area, we will then send you a gift certificate by email to present to your course recipient. Should the date be unsuitable, your guest can change the date provided we have a minimum of 10 working days notice.

Please note: Early booking is strongly advised.

Your Tutor

Bristol Wine School is run by Tristan Darby, who has certified wine knowledge and 20 years experience in the catering, hospitality and wine trade. He is the founder of Bristol Wine School and also runs courses at award-winning wine merchant Great Western Wine in Bath. 

Tristan is the drinks columnist for The Bristol Magazine and The Bath Magazine, he trains wine and catering professionals, consults, works with international drinks brands, cookery schools, hosts wine dinners and events with some of the region's top chefs and has been a judge for Bristol Good Food awards.

Tristan takes every opportunity to entertain and add theatre to his teaching. Passionate that world of wine and spirits shouldn't be a pretentious and elitist he has earned a great reputation for imparting knowledge in an engaging, un-stuffy, non-patronising and approachable way. He'll answer questions as you go and hopes to give the confidence and tools you'll need to break habits, expand horizons, and choose better wine.