Here are a few of our favorite upcoming wine classes in Philly! This list includes the top wine tastings as well as sommelier courses.
Top 10 Wine Classes in Philly
Featured
Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known Wine Grapes
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDoes a carpenter ever get bored with pine? Maybe they daydream about working with walnut or ash instead—something unusual, something with character. That’s how it goes in the wine world, too. ...
Wine Gods of Australia: The Tasting Class
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesAll hail the forgotten gods of wine—entombed beneath the dust of the Outback, buried under supermarket critter labels, and banished from American shelves by the unholy rise of mass-market kangaroo juice. ...
Sommelier Secrets: The Wine Tasting Class
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesYou don’t get named a top sommelier by CBS and SOMM without learning a trick or two. In this class, we let you in on the trade secrets that will change how you buy and serve ...
Bourbon! The Whiskey Tasting Class
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesBecome a member for $1. Bourbon! is a tour-de-force of one of our favorite drinks. Learn how it's made, what makes for a great bourbon, and some brands to look out ...
Wine 101: Learn About Wine
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesLearn About Wine If you are new to the study of wine -- or simply new to the Wine School of Philadelphia -- this class is for you. Here, you will ...
Italian Wine Class: The Wine Tasting Class
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesWant to discover the grandi classici del vino Italiano and explore the viticultural gems in the mezzogiorno? This wine class will give you a fantastic overview of Italian wine. The American love affair with Italian wines ...
Core Sommelier Course (Fall Semester)
National Wine School 109 S 22nd St, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesSundays, October 19th to December 14th from 1:30 pm - 6 pm. No class on November 23rd. Sommelier Core Wine Course The Core Wine Course provides a comprehensive wine education experience ...
Judgement of Paris: California versus France
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesOur Judgement of Paris wine class pits two favorite wine countries in an epic battle of uncorked fury. Our series of VERSUS classes are hugely popular, and this is one of ...
The Devil’s Playground: The Big Baddies
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesIn Philadelphia, October 30th isn’t just any night—it’s Mischief Night, that semi-feral tradition with roots tangled in both colonial history and teenage impulse. Around here, it’s a time for troublemakers to ...
Italy Vs. Greece
Philly Wine School 109 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesIn this wine-tasting class, we pit two of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world against each other. It's Greek versus Italian Wine. Is this a fair contest? One is the ...
Wine Class or Wine Tasting?
Are you looking for a wine tasting class or a wine tasting? There’s a HUGE difference, which can mean the difference between having a lovely night or an awkward one. The word “class” is doing a lot of heaving lifting.
We HATE Wine Tastings
The difference is simple: a wine tasting class is designed for people who crave knowledge and understanding; a wine tasting is for borderline alcoholics who pretend they have a hobby when –in fact– they have a drinking problem.
Is that harsh? Well, it’s deserved. A long time ago, we designed wine tastings for the likes of the Food Network and the Philadelphia Wine Festival. We were expecting a particular class of attendees but were REVOLTED by the behavior of many participants. We swore never to run –or attend– a wine tasting (or wine festival) ever again.
We LOVE Wine Classes
A wine tasting class, on the other hand, is a marvelous evening. Start with a beautiful classroom with reclaimed oak-and-iron tables and vintage oriental carpets covering the floors. Include a wine selection sourced from the most significant wine collection on the East Coast, Staff it with one of the top sommelier instructors in the USA. Finally, bring together a diverse and intellectually curious body of students.
Not all schools offer wine classes like this –we may be the only ones, to be honest– but even without the beautiful location and great wine selections, we still prefer a wine class over a wine tasting. Learning and being around other people who are curious and passionate about wine is always as wonderful evening.
If we wanted to be around drunks, we’d hang out at a park in South Philly or google “Wine Tasting Philadelphia” and ignore the first page of results.
Top Wine Schools in Philly
Philly has more wine classes than any other city in America. For the past forty years, there have been more wine schools in our hometown than in almost any other major city.
History of Wine Schools in Philly
The original wine school was L’Ecole de Vin, run by the wonderful Bob Perna in the 1980s and early ’90s. By the mid-’90s, there was Neal Ewing Wine Services. In 2001 came The Wine School of Philadelphia. These were Philly’s Original Wine Schools.
Other schools have been established since. The restaurant Tria opened the Tria Fermentation School. Philadelphia Magazine helped open and sponsored COOK, a food and wine education center, Time Restaurant opened a wine school, as did Pinot Boutique. At about the same time, Walnut College also opened up its own wine school.
So which is the top wine school in Philly? Sadly, many of Philly’s wine schools are footnotes to Philly’s wine history.
Are the First Wine Schools Still Open?
Of the original three schools, only one remains. L’Ecole de Vin closed decades ago. Neal Ewing Wine Services disappeared long ago, too, changing names and owners along the way. The Wine School of Philadelphia continues to thrive, following in the footsteps of the great L’Ecole de Vin.
What About the Newer Schools?
Of the newer schools, Tria stopped offering wine classes before the pandemic but offers the occasional wine tasting. COOK is now a wine shop and does not offer classes anymore. Pinot Boutique’s wine school was initially run by the Wine School of Philadelphia but closed when the shop did. Time Restaurant’s school ended when the Wine School of Philadelphia moved downtown. Finally, Walnut College –which also relied on the Wine School of Philadelphia for some of its programs– stopped offering classes about a decade ago.
There remains a few WSET Philadelphia outlets that offer part-time wine courses. However, only one major wine school remains, and one that just happened to be named one of the top wine schools in America, to boot!
Where can you find this school? Good news, you are on their site right now!
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