Sommelier Student of the Year!
The Wine School of Philadelphia has named Stacy Wessel, owner of Race Street Café, the 2024 Sommelier Student of the Year. Stacy Wessel, a veteran Philadelphia restaurateur, won the award following …
Who Takes Our Sommelier Courses?
Not to be corny, but our sommelier students are in a class of their own.The Wine School of Philadelphia has always been an outlier in the wine world. We attract a …
Seeking Wine Educators
We are seeking our next generation of wine educators in Philadelphia and beyond! If you want to be part of our community, now is the time to act!We are on the …
Understanding Tannin
Writers Don’t Understand Tannin.When I was a winemaker in California, the very first question a customer asked me was, “What is Tannin?” So many times, the question was posed when I …
The Greatest Wine Regions of the World
The world of wine is at your fingertips. Here at the Wine School, many of our sommelier programs are founded on the idea the core of wine knowledge is understanding wine …
Twenty East Coast Wines that Rival Napa Valley
Recently, I was researching East Coast wines for an online wine class. While researching, it struck me how far we’ve come, even in the last year. So I made it a …
Sommelier Courses in America
The world of wine is lovely. Sommelier courses open opportunities in all sectors, from the hospitality industry to retail, education to marketing, and distribution to production. Wine jobs are not only …
The Eight Major Beer Styles in America
Did you know there are over 6,000 craft breweries in the United States alone? And the phenomenon is global. People want good beer; artisanal, hand-crafted beers made with love and not …
Sommelier’s Guide to Champagne
Champagne!Every person in every corner of the world knows about Champagne. But did you know they didn’t invent sparkling wine? That was the British. They didn’t even make the first bubbles …
Philly Wine: The Untapped Potential of the Philly Wine Region
Specialists vs. GeneralistsBack in the day, if you wanted to be a winemaker, there were two career trajectories. You could either become a generalist or a specialist. That meant either working …
The Top BYOB Restaurants in Philly
BYO culture in Philly is unique among American cities. It came about due to the influence of the PLCB and high rent in Center City’s restaurant district. For most chefs, the …
Wine Aroma Kits
I’ve used scent training for our sommelier training for decades. It’s a core part of our programming. I hadn’t planned on ever developing scent kits until 2020. I started by creating …
Eater Philadelphia Thinks We Have an Amazing Wine Club!
The Wine School of Philadelphia’s catalog of courses are designed to delve into the nuances and complexities of wines from around the world. Its wine club membership is an extension of these offerings, providing subscribers access to exclusive weekly members-only events, founder’s pairing dinners, a bi-weekly newsletter, training workshops, and opportunities to connect with experts in the wine industry.
“The Best Wine and Beer Clubs in Philadelphia” Eater Philadelphia, April 2024
The War Against Wine
The War Against ScienceTrust in science is at its lowest point in generations. So why is an international health agency willing to further degrade its reputation by loudly espousing moral beliefs …
Top Gift Wines
I want three core elements for any wine: high quality, fairly priced, and small production. I’m the type of wine curmudgeon who doesn’t bother with mass-produced wines but doesn’t want to …
A Note to Our Sommelier Students
Dear Students,I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share some wonderful news about our Advanced Sommelier program. As many of you know, over the past few years, we’ve …
What is Zinfandel?
Zinfandel: The All-American Grape with Hidden RootsZinfandel, or as it is affectionately called, Zin, is said to be one of the most famous noble grapes in America. Its heavy flavors and …
Top Italian Red Wines for $20
Italian Red Wines 101Walk into any wine shop, and you will be confronted with hundreds of Italian red wines, ranging in price from six dollars to hundreds. Your goal is to …
Sommelier Student of the Year
Michael Kraemer, an Advanced Sommelier student at the Wine School of Philadelphia, has been named the 2023 Sommelier Student of the Year Award winner. The award, which recognizes dedication to the …
Schioppettino #3
The effort to save the varietal Schioppettino from extinction can be traced back to the actions of one man, Paulo Rapozzi, and his vineyard Ronchi di Cialla. After the twin threats …
Schioppettino #2
In Janis Robinson’s impressive “Wine Grapes,” she describes 1,400 grape varietals in commercial production. However, the world’s wine shelves are dominated by a mere 20. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay have …
Pallagrello
Located at the “shin” of Italy, bordered on the east by the Tyrrhenian Sea and set between the Garigliano River to the north and the Gulf of Policastro to the south, …
Schioppettino
Tucked away in the eastern hills of the Friuli region of Italy is a small valley between the Upper Adriatic Sea and the foothills of the Julian Alps. This area, known …
Coda di Volpe
Coda di Volpe, also called Coda di Volpe Bianca, is a native white wine grape grown in the Campania region of Italy, primarily in Benevento, Avellino, Napoli, and Caserta. With an …
Timorasso #4
Timorasso is a white grape native to Italy and has been growing around the Tortona hills, located at the crossroads of Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, and Liguria, since the Middle Ages. …