FAQs: Sunday School Wine Courses

We've been asked a few questions about our Sunday School wine courses & classes already - here's a few of the most common. Feel free to drop us a question on Facebook, Instagram, email or ask us at the bar if you've got something not answered here :)

When are the classes?

We don't have a set class schedule - you can book a module on any Sunday that suits you, subject to availability. The book now links up here ⬆️ and down there ⬇️ will let you find a slot, or you can ask us at the bar.

All our courses are designed to be flexible - we really wanted to get away from "you will do three Saturdays in a row" sorts of schedules which are great if you can do that... and not so great if you've got work responsibilities, childcare commitments etc that make that sort of rigidity impossible. Book the module you have next, when it suits you.

Can I study in a group of 2+?

Absolutely! Just book a slot when you'd like to do the course and in the booking notes, tell us how many people. We recommend a maximum of 4 people at once for modules 1, 2 and 3 of the Intro to Wine & Wine Theory course.

Do I have to study in a group, or can I go solo?

Absolutely! Book, turn up, enjoy!

What will I learn?

Our Introduction to Wine and Wine Theory course is 5 modules and will teach you the fundamentals of wine. You'll cover everything from the basics of what we mean by "styles of wine" to the process of winemaking for reds, whites, rosés and orange wines, the choices winemakers can make and how that affects the wine, how to write a standardised tasting note (and why we use them) and how to have a much better idea of what'll be in the bottle when you're reading a label. You'll taste plenty of wines on the way through too. By the time you've completed the course you'll have a really good understanding of the world of wine.

Our Explorer courses then focus on specific regions or countries - for example French Wine Explorer - and build on those fundamentals to flesh it out with the detail of how each region makes, labels and markets their wines; what the major wine types from those regions are and why, and more.

How does this compare to courses from the WSET?

The WSET are the de-facto standard for professional wine education. Their Level 3 course is generally acknowledged as the certification you need to get a job in wine, and their Diploma in Wine (aka Level 4/DipWSET) is a really advanced, in-depth course examined over 2 years which represents the top of the education ladder for wine professionals (Master of Wine does sit above Level 4, but more people have been to space than have their MW - it's not normally considered part of the education ladder).

WSET also offer Level 1 courses for complete beginners to the world of wine and Level 2 for wine enthusiasts and those who work with wine as part of their job.

Our courses aren't designed to line up exactly with theirs, but as a rough comparison the Level 2 course is very broad - it covers viticulture, viniculture, the major wine grapes, and then an intro to the major wine regions. Our Intro to Wine & Wine Theory course is not as broad, but it is deeper in the the viticulture, viniculture and major wine grapes areas and we dip into some areas of those subjects that are in the WSET Level 3 syllabus. Similarly, our Explorer courses go a little beyond Level 2's depth on those regions, but focus on a region at a time rather than covering the whole wine world in one course.

For those wanting to progress onto a WSET course, Level 3 has two entry routes - you must have completed Level 2, or pass an online entrance exam. We would expect that if you've completed our Intro to Wine & Wine Theory and any of our Explorer courses, you'd be able to pass the exam (and with a second Explorer course under your belt, you should be able to ace the exam). If you do go on to Level 3, you'll be well prepared... better than if you'd done Level 2, some might say - but admittedly I'm biased!

I already have my WSET 1 or 2 or have done another wine course - can I skip the Intro to Wine & Wine Theory? Should I?

You absolutely can, yes... whether you should or not depends a bit on how much of your WSET courses you remember, how much you actually learned (if you do it in a classroom setting at a wine school, for example, many of the instructors will flesh out the course syllabus with extra information) and how much you've used it since.

Have a chat with us at the bar. We'll talk you through the modules of the Intro course and make a suggestion as to whether to skip some or all, or indeed whether you'd be better off doing a quick recap of multiple modules in a single session as a custom revision session.

Do I have to complete the Explorer courses in a set order?

Not at all. We recommend taking the Intro to Wine & Wine Theory course (though see the question above!) before doing the Explorer ones, but then you can complete them in any order. Fancy Spain before France? Go for it! Want to do both at the same time - module 1 of France one weekend, module 1 of Spain the next, before moving back to France for module 2? That's absolutely fine.