Wine can seem chaotic from the outside—hundreds of grapes and regions, infinite labels, and a language that does not feel intuitive to the casual enjoyer of wine. One main reason for this is that people, when they speak about wine, do so from many different angles. Sometimes it’s to sell you something, other times, it’s to make themselves look cool. Context is malleable, and it’s difficult to parse what information is relevant. For those interested in simply learning wine: there is a system underneath it all. Once you learn that system, everything else—style, flavor, price, and, let say, relevance to the larger conversation—begin to fall into place.

The goal of this course is simple. It isn’t a radical rethink of wine education; it’s the same framework used by professional sommeliers around the world, made clearer, more contemporary, and stripped of unnecessary ceremony. This course will help you understand how it works well enough to make it your own, and learn as much as you want to.