What is Terroir?
the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.Terroir, Oxford DictionaryThe concept of “Terroir” has been embedded within wine culture …
Wine Trade
How to Become a Sommelier
How to Start your Wine CareerThere are five simple steps to start a career in wine. We will repeat these steps at least two times to give you an idea of …
World’s First Online Sommelier Course!
If you are in the mood for some old fashioned good news, we have some for you. We are announcing the first-ever online sommelier certification program, This is a project that …
Wine Business 101
The wine business has unique traits without parallel in other markets. Wine is an agricultural product, but it’s also a lifestyle commodity; wine bottles are collectible items in some cases. In …
Get a Wine Job at the PLCB
A Job Guide for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB)Before showing you how to get a job working for the PLCB, you should ask yourself a question: is working for PA’s …
A Taste of Our Online Wine Classes
Want a taste of our online wine classes? I just edited our Online Wine Quizzo night into a two-minute youtube clip. It’s silly, and I am a terrible video editor, but …
Winemaking 101
Welcome to Winemaking 101! We have been making wine for ten thousand years. For much of that time, winemaking has played an outsized role in our lives. It has been an …
What Is A Wine Expert? And How to Become One!
Anyone can become a wine expert. You can do this with a decent work ethic and a little support. Wine is not rocket science. You can become a winemaker or master …
What is a Sommelier?
Becoming a sommelier is a goal for many wine lovers, prodded on by the many “SOMM” movies and tv shows. It is now a career imbued with glamor and intrigue. Is …
Wine & Health through the Ages
Wine must be a magical elixir. Otherwise, how can we explain why a restaurant wine list often turns a CEO into a pouting child? I have seen powerful doctors in bespoke …
Pennsylvania Wine Law Primer
As of August 8th, 2016, how alcohol is bought and sold in Pennsylvania changed dramatically. It is not just about semi-privatization and consumer choice. That is not half of it. The new …
Copain Winery Sold!
This article was originally published in 2016. There have been some dramatic acquisitions in the wine business over the past several months. Jackson Family Wines purchased Copain winery, a highly regarded …
Growing Grapes without Irrigation
In 2015, California’s Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order that included a mandatory 25% water reduction. Not surprisingly, the news went national; this was a first in America. Future of …
Sonic Decanter: The New Wine Gadget Demystified
Sonic Youth Decanted, or how we ended up in the Washington PostOn December 10th, we were featured in a Washington Post Online article disputing the claims made about the Sonic Decanter. The article …
A Service Dog and Her Winemaker
This article is one of the few articles written about Keith’s life before founding the Wine School. It prominently features Rosie, his dog of many years. Sadly, Rosie passed away in …
The Tasting Room that Died
How to Make a Million Dollars in WineMany million-dollar ideas end up costing $10 Million to achieve. That’s typical logic for you in the wine trade. After years of hard work… you end …