WineSkool is about wine education and wine appreciation in a fun, inspiring, and hopefully non-snobbish way.  I want to be able to excite the student about wine and motivate people to go out and explore new wines.  I always ask students to do their HomeWork by exploring and tasting new wines.

In my daily work, you will see me rattling around the campuses of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where I teach classes in business, wine and other subjects in the Culinary Arts program.  In private arrangements, I can also be found at private group wine tastings, corporate teambuilding events, and restaurant training sessions.

I have taught classes at San Carlos Parks & Rec, UC Berkeley Extension (Redwood City campus), UC Santa Cruz Extension (Cupertino campus), and San Jose State Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (Lundy campus).

A Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) with the Society of Wine Educators, I have taught wine education classes for 10 years at Mirassou Vineyards, am an enthusiastic member of consumer organizations like ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers), Rhone Rangers, Family Winemakers, and others. 

My other certifications include Expert es Vins de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Wine School), Spanish Wine Educator (Academia del Vino de España) and Certified Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers).  Besides working on the Hospitality side of a winery, I've also been in Wine Production, developing Internet-based software to control the winemaking operation and its integration to the supply chain.  This helped global wineries with dispersed operations minimize their cost of production, yet produce a consistent, high quality product.

But, like you, I am a wine enthusiast!

--Dave Lee