WineSkool classes
range from Beginning to Intermediate to Advanced classes.
These wine appreciation courses are varietal specific or are wine
region specific. It is highly recommended to take the Introduction to Wine course
to develop a strong foundation in the basics of wine.
With this background, the wine
student should move to the intermediate course called Wine Varietals
In-Depth and
then proceed to classes that target different wine regions of the
world:
Classes that do not require any wine
appreciation background are the Wine and Food
classes:
Core
Wine Studies Program
Introduction to
Wine
This
class will teach you how to understand what you taste and smell in
the wine glass and literally "maps your mouth" in the first
lecture. Experienced wine drinkers find this class series
re-establishes a firm foundation to better understand wine tasting
principles and doing so in a fun and easy way. No snobs
here! This class will provide the background to help you
further explore the world of wine in other, more advanced courses
and is a prerequisite for all other classes, except Wine and
Food classes. You will learn tasting techniques,
recognizing wine components, matching wine and food, and learning
enough wine terminology so we can communicate with other wine
drinkers about why we like or dis-like a
wine.
Classes 2 and 3 concentrate on white and red wines
and how they are made. Understanding what happens in the
vineyard and the wine cellar provides you an understanding whether
you like other wines made in the same manner. These classes
concentrate on exposing you to 16 - 18 different varietals.
The last class explains Sparkling and Champagne wine production
and you will taste examples of different styles and different
wine regions. You will get a thorough understanding of the
language used on the labels and be comfortable in buying a wine and
knowing what to expect in the bottle.
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Wine Varietals
In-Depth
After completion
of Introduction to Wine, this course is a key building
block for wine students to gain knowledge of wine varietals. You will focus on one
varietal per class to learn about the many styles and expressions
of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, and
other wine varietals.
In 6 classes, you will taste wines from many world regions to
experience how these wines are made, how they taste, how they
differ, and why they differ. Food pairing concepts are also
discussed in each varietal class. Wine varietals that are
presented may differ from one class to another and depends on the
interests of the enrolled students for that particular
class.
You
will also learn to rate wines using popular methods such as the
100-point system used by Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator or the
20-point systems used by UC Davis or Michael Broadbent. You
will get an in-depth tour of how oak wine barrels are made and how
these impact wine, see how corks are made, understand the
controversy of corks versus screw caps and get practical
experience smelling cork taint. You will also get practical
instruction on how to store and serve wine, as well as a discussion
on the health impacts of wine Suggested
prerequisite class: Introduction to Wine.
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California and French
Wines
This course takes a comparative view of how
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and other
traditional French varietals are grown and vinified in
California and France.
The wines are expressed differently, reflecting winemaking
styles, traditions, climate, and soils. The wine regions of California that
produce the best examples of these varietals are discussed but the
emphasis is on learning about the French wine regions. In
particular, you will learn about the geography, climate, and
styles of White Burgundy, Red Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhone
Valley. Since French wines are perceived to be
expensive and the labels are daunting, you will be taught the
strategies to buy these wines at comfortable prices in order to
expand your knowledge, experience, and your cellar. Suggested
prerequisite class: Introduction to Wine.
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California Wine
Regions
There are over 800 wineries
in California and many are situated outside of the north
coast counties of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. The wine regions
of the California central coast and the Sierra foothills
produce a dazzling array of wines from a very diverse set of soils
and climates. Four class sessions will delve into
the wine regions of Amador, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey,
Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. You'll
get an overview of the significant wineries and the developing
trends for each of these regions. Of course, we will taste the
significant varietals that come from each wine region and discover
the local styles. Suggested
prerequisite class: Introduction to
Wine.
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European
Wines
If you are tired of drinking Merlot,
Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon or just want to expand your wine
drinking palate, come visit the countries of Italy, Germany, and
Spain. These are great
wine producing nations experiencing a renaissance of winemaking
styles and this success is reflected in worldwide demand.
German wines are always perceived to be sweet, due to the influence
of vast amounts of plonk wine introduced in the past to the
United States. You will learn and experience that Riesling is
one of the most verstaile food wines in the world and it isn't
always sweet. Two class meetings will be spent learning about
the whites, reds, dessert and sparkling wines of Italy. You
will also be introduced to popular and little known red and white
varietals coming from Spanish wine regions and how the regional
foods complement. Suggested prerequisite class: Introduction to
Wine.
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Wines of California and
Europe
This is an extensive 10-week course
conducted under the auspices of the University of California,
Berkeley Extension campus in Redwood City. This wine study
course covers the major fine wine varietals from the Old
World, with comparisons to the same varietals produced in the
New World. The regions covered include the major
regions of France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and, of course,
California.
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Southern Hemisphere Wines
The wines of Australia, New Zealand, and Chile have appeared
on USA shelves for years and are highly price competitive. Now
impacting the world wine market are wines from South Africa and
Argentina. In this course, we will explore these
wine-producing countries of the Southern Hemisphere over a 4-week
period and learn about the varietals that these countries are
producing in the hopes of influencing the global wine
consumer. Just as Zinfandel has made California a famous
produder and Australia is highly identified with Shiraz, you will
learn and experience whether South Africa will be most successful
with Pinotage and Steen (Chenin Blanc), Argentina will win with
Malbec and Torontes, or if Chile has a winning varietal in
Carmenere. History, climate, varietals, winemaking trends, and
food pairing are discussed for each wine region. Suggested
prerequisite class: Introduction to
Wine.
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Wine Regions of France
II
Outside of
Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Rhone Valley
lie lesser-known wine regions that provide exciting wines that often
can be obtained at prices that rival or even beat California
wines. This course
examines the Loire Valley, Alsace, Champagne, and the sun-kissed
Southern French coastal regions of Provence and Languedoc-Rousillon,
including the wine varietals that are expressive of these
regions. You will learn the development of these wine
regions including the climate influences and which varietals are the
best of the areas. Champagne is a particular challenge to
consumers because the wine is always perceived to be
expensive. You will learn the second phase of Champagne that
builds on the class knowledge gained from Introduction to
Wine.
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Ports &
Sherry: The Soul of Iberian Wine
The Iberian Peninsula produces the world's best of
these two traditional types of wine. Sherry styles range
from light aperitifs to full-bodied dessert wines, while port has
been the traditional dessert wine of the English. As
these wines are most often accompanied by food, you will be able to
sample some ideal sherry and port food matches. This class
covers the diverse methods used to produce sherry and port wines.
Tasting samples will draw from the regions that have made these
wines internationally famous. Learn to distinugish the
sherrys from Andalusia and the sherry producing towns of
Sanlucar de la Barrameda, Puerto de Santa Maria and Jerez de la
Frontera. Understand Portugal's Douro regions and how
different ports taste and how prices are affected by the production
methods. Suggested prerequisite class: Introduction to
Wine.
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Elective
Courses 
90+ Wines
Of the thousands of wines on the market, its impossible to
evaluate everything to figure out your favorite wines. Many of
us have turned to wine publications for help. The top wine
magazines employ scoring systems that pump out lists of wines
that score 90 points or better. Are they really
worthwhile wines? Is it possible to find 90 point wines that
are inexpensive? Are wine magazines believable? The
wines tasted in this course will draw on wines rated by Robert
Parker's Wine Advocate,
Wine Enthusiast, The Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits.
Each class is focused on a specific varietal to encourage apples to
apples....oops...grapes to grapes comparisons. Suggested
prerequisite classes: Introduction
to Wine and Wine Varietals In-Depth.
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Wine and Food Studies
Program 
Romance of Wine &
Chocolates
Valentine’s Day or not, you can impress your loved
one! Sway the senses
with sensual chocolates, soothed by silky wines. We will take pleasure in
exploring the orgasmic delights of matching different kinds of
chocolate with different kinds of wine. This is a single night class
designed for anyone wanting to discover the romantic side of wine
and chocolate.
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"Oh
WOW!" Food and Wine Matching
Have you ever munched some food and tried a wine and suddenly
the combination was so exquisite it made you utter "Oh
WOW!!?" These single night Wine and Food
matching events allow YOU to discover food and wine matches
that excite Your palate. Much like a painter selects colors
from a palette, we present a palette of wines and
foods from exotic cuisines of the finest restaurants on
the San Francisco Peninsula.
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