Upcoming Advanced Sommelier Courses

Level Up: Advanced & Master Programs Now Open

For students ready to move beyond the basics, our upcoming slate of Advanced and Master Programs offers unmatched opportunities to deepen your expertise, refine your palate, and—frankly—change how you think about wine.

This isn’t wine school lite. These are high-immersion, high-impact programs led by some of the top educators in the country. Each one is designed to challenge assumptions, push boundaries, and equip you with the knowledge and tasting skills you’ll need for the upper tiers of certification with the National Wine School.

Here’s what’s on the calendar:

Accelerated Italian Wine Specialist™

Summer Intensive | 7 Sessions Over 1 Week
Italy, compressed. This fast-paced course spans the entire peninsula—from Sicily and Sardinia up to the Alpine valleys—in just three weeks. You’ll cover major DOCG wines, explore obscure indigenous grapes, and build a framework for understanding Italian terroir, classifications, and styles. Each session has a central theme that grounds your tasting in history and place. For students who want to know why Italy matters, not just what’s in the glass. Instructor: Keith Wallace

Advanced Winemaking Program

Fall Harvest 2025 | Hands-On, Semester-Long
To understand wine, you have to make wine. This course isn’t just for future winemakers—it’s for anyone who wants a complete education in wine. Over the course of a semester, you’ll follow grapes from raw fruit to finished bottle, observing how flavor is transformed at every stage: fermentation, maceration, oak aging, bottling, and beyond. There’s simply no substitute for this kind of hands-on learning. Once you’ve made wine, you’ll never taste it the same way again. Instructor: Keith Wallace.

Spanish Wine Specialist

Fall Session | 8 Weeks
Spain isn’t a monolith—it’s a mosaic. This course explores that complexity with regional classes that range from the cool green Atlantic of Galicia to the arid plains of La Mancha and the volcanic slopes of the Canary Islands. You’ll study classic styles like Rioja and Sherry alongside modern innovations, all while tasting your way through Spain’s bewildering range of native grapes and terroirs. Ideal for students who want depth, not just name recognition. Instructor: Keith Wallace.

Food & Wine Scholar Program

Winter Session | 8 Weeks
Part science, part art, and all flavor. This course is our flagship experience in food and wine pairing. You’ll work through flavor structure, aroma theory, and sequential vs. mixed tasting methods, all while building a personal pairing framework that actually makes sense in the real world. Each class features hands-on pairing labs, small-group tastings, and flavor deconstructions. It’s a favorite among chefs, educators, and those aiming for Master-level certifications. Instructor: Keith Wallace.

American Wine Specialist™

Winter Session | 8 Weeks
From Oregon Pinot to Texas Tempranillo, this program covers the full sweep of the American wine landscape. Classes are organized by region, from the Northeast to the Southwest, with focused tastings, producer profiles, and AVA deep dives. This is the only program of its kind that treats American wine as both a serious academic pursuit and a living, breathing wine culture. Essential for students on the Advanced or Master path. Instructor: Keith Wallace.

All programs count toward Advanced and Master-level certification through the National Wine School.
Seats are limited. Discounts available for members.