Learn How To Appreciate Wine With 2024‘s Top 7 Best Online Wine Courses & Classes
If you are looking for some of the best online wine courses to show off your skills, you’re in the right place!
With these courses, students will learn about vineyards, the principles winemakers follow to bring out the best flavors, techniques you can use to discern aromas and flavors, what separates a ‘good’ wine from a ‘premium’ wine, and much more.
You’ll also get the opportunity to cultivate your knowledge by absorbing the wisdom and experience of some of the top winemakers and wine critics in the world. Let’s get started!
Top 7 Best Online Wine Courses & Classes 2024
1. James Suckling – Teaches Wine Appreciation (MasterClass)
First on my list is a fantastic wine class that will give you a tour of legendary Tuscan vineyards that also teaches you how one of the world’s top wine critics tastes and evaluates his wine!
For this course, you will be taught by none other than James Suckling, a wine expert, and critic who has made a living from tasting more than 200,000 wines over a course of 4 decades. James is also called one of the “world’s most powerful wine critics”, and in this online course, you will find out why.
In this beginner-level 2 ½ hour-long class, students learn a wide range of professional-level wine tasting topics including various tasting techniques such as blind tasting, how to identify different flavors and aromas, how wine is made on vineyards, what factors influence its quality, what are the etiquettes of wine, and much more!
Hosted on MasterClass, you can access this online wine course along with many others on offer with a 30-day free trial of their All-Access Pass.
Not only that, but you’ll receive PDF workbooks and audio lessons that you can listen to offline! Overall, a comprehensive online course to induct you into the sophisticated world of wine!
- Beginner level
- 2 ½ hours long
- Taught by one of the world’s most powerful wine critics
- Free 30-day trial of All-Access Pass for new users
- PDF Workbooks and offline audio lessons available
2. Getting Started with Wine: Buy Smarter, Taste More (Skillshare)
If you’re looking for wine knowledge straight from the vine, you won’t want to miss this excellent online course! You will also be joining 7,400 students who have taken this beginner-level class that features 16 student projects.
Gary Vaynerchuk, a successful entrepreneur, author, and wine expert, will be teaching you in this class. Gary joined his father’s wine store when he was still in high school and, over the course of 2 decades, has taken it from a $4 million venture to a massive $45 million thriving business.
Through 10 video lessons spanning 1 hour, students learn everything needed to buy better wine and the fundamentals of tasting, selecting, the differences between sparkling, white, and red wine, a list of recommended wines for every taste and price range, and much more!
You can join this online ‘class’ and interact with and learn from thousands of students that are part of its community. What’s more, you can do all of this for free through a free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium! Overall, a fantastic way to take your wine connoisseur skills to the next level!
- Beginner level
- 1 hour long
- Taught by wine expert and businessman
- Free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium
- Thriving community of 7000+ students
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3. The Complete Wine Tasting Course (Udemy)
If you’re eager to learn about the myriad factors that influence the aroma and flavor of wine from its vineyard origins all the way through to your glass, look no further than this online wine course!
Your instructor for this class will be Mike Mazey, who is an experienced winemaker, and wine educator. Mike also has a degree in Oenology from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and has worked in a number of wineries all over Australia and the Czech Republic.
Throughout the 6 hours of this beginner wine course, students go through the journey of wine from its raw form (grapes) to the very end. Students will also learn about how grapes are grown and transformed into wine, the best techniques for tasting and describing wine, a unique ‘wine in 9’ grid to analyze different samples, and tons more!
For a limited time, you can get full lifetime access to this online course on Udemy for a discount of 85%. You will also get a certificate of completion (to finally impress your connections) at the end!
- Beginner level
- 6 hours long
- Taught by expert winemaker and oenologist
- Full lifetime access
- Certificate of completion
4. World of Wine: From Grape to Glass (edX)
If you want to be known as ‘the wine person’ in your social circle, with superior knowledge and taste, this online wine course is a great option! You will also be joining 81,000 students who have completed this extensive training.
For this online wine class, you will be taught by a team of enology, viticulture, and wine science professors and experts from the University of Adelaide, Australia, namely: Kerry Wilkinson, Cassandra Collins, David Jeffery, and Paul Gribin.
Over a period of 6 weeks, students will become capable of outlining the various techniques used in the winemaking process to alter the type of wine, different management practices that are widely used in vineyards, how to describe the sensory attributes of wine through technical terms, and so much more.
This self-paced online course is ideal for professionals who can spare only 2-3 hours per week, and also offers a certificate of completion. So it is definitely a deal worth your time! Overall, this is a phenomenal class that teaches world-class lectures on wine!
- Beginner level
- 6 weeks long with 2-3 effort hours per week
- Taught by oenology and viticulture professors from the University of Adelaide, Australia
- Certificate of completion
- Free access to course contents (nominal fee for certificate)
5. Get Wine-Smart (Udemy)
Next on my list is a fun, interactive online wine course that is targeted towards those who prefer to forego the ‘critic’ stuff and just enjoy the experience of drinking wine to the fullest.
Your instructor for this wine tasting course will be John Boyer, a professor and wine enthusiast who has degrees in geography and wine studies. John teaches more than 2,700 students every fall in his Geography of Wine classes at Virginia Tech, and has earned a rating of 4.6 stars on Udemy so you’re in great hands!
Through 6 ½ hours of video lessons, John teaches students everything they need to know to confidently serve and enjoy wine in social settings (and by yourself, of course), learning the dynamics of opening, buying, storing, and serving wine, grasp the vocabulary needed to understand flavors and aromas, recognize grape varieties, and much more.
The best part about this online wine course on Udemy is that once you’ve bought it, you’ll have full lifetime access to it – you can always come back at some point in your life to review a concept which you need to know for that upcoming wine tasting party!
- Beginner level
- 6 ½ hours long
- Taught by professor expert in geography of wine
- Full lifetime access
- Certificate of completion
6. Wine: Everything You Want to Know, Taught by a Winemaker (Udemy)
If the straight-to-the-point title sounds like just what you are looking for, then you’re bound to get a lot out of this great online wine course! From the history of wine to a list of recommended wine sources, you and the 4,500 other enrolled students will learn everything you need to know from an industry expert.
Michael Macfarlan, a winemaker in Central Virginia, will be teaching you in this online course. Michael runs an award-winning boutique winery and regularly offers seminars and workshops for local wine enthusiasts. He has published 2 courses on Udemy and earned a rating of 4.4 stars.
In this 2-hour long wine tasting course, Michael takes students through a long journey of wine knowledge, starting with the definition and history of wine and going through topics like the practices and tasks of vineyard workers, the right way of tasting wine, how to buy on a budget, the difference between drinking and analyzing it, and much more.
Once you complete this course, you will receive a certificate of completion that you can share with your network and let everyone know that you are a man of culture! Overall, one of the best online wine courses for complete beginners!
- Beginner level
- 2 hours long
- Taught by award-winning winemaker
- Certificate of completion
- Full lifetime access
7. WSET Level 1 Award in Wines (Wine & Spirit Education Trust -WSET)
Rounding out my list is a globally recognized online wine course that will equip you with the skills you need to launch a career in wine or hospitality. If you’re over 18 and have a passion for wine, this class is a great choice for you.
In this online course, you will be instructed by WSET’s Certified Educators. These specialists come from a diverse range of backgrounds such as grape growing, winemaking, and bar management, so you can expect to get a wholesome experience that is full of career-altering insights and wisdom.
Throughout this 4-week long online course, students will learn about the different types and styles of wine, the characteristics of common grapes, how to select perfect food and wine pairings, and how to store and serve wine. WSET teaches students how to use it’s Level 1 ‘Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine’ (SAT) and guides them as they taste nine wines on their own.
You can find this wine course hosted by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. After completing this course and passing the 45 minutes 30 MCQs test, you’ll be awarded a WSET Level 1 Award lapel pin and feel like a true wine expert yourself!
- Beginner level
- 4 weeks long with 2-3 effort hours per week
- Taught by WSET Certified Educators
- Certificate of completion
- WSET Level 1 Award lapel pin awarded
Even More Tastes!
If you’re look for the ideal food to pair with your wine, you can also see my guide on cooking and baking classes to really wow your friends and family!
Or if you prefer to learn more about mixology and cocktails, we have reviewed some amazing courses to get you started.
