The Wine Myth Dumpster Fire
Some ideas refuse to die. They show up at dinner tables and tasting rooms dressed as “common sense,” whispering that more money means better wine, that swirling is for show-offs, that …
Wine Connoisseur?
Let’s be honest: wine can be intimidating. Between the fancy terms, the swirling, the sniffing, and the endless bottle options, it’s easy to feel like you need a degree just to …
Summer Wine School
This August, the Wine School of Philadelphia turns 25, and Summer Wine School returns. It’s an intensive for people who are done being intimidated by wine and ready to get serious, …
From Philly to New Zealand: Daniel Brennan and Decibel Wines
Listen to the podcast here. There’s something deeply Philly about Daniel Brennan. Maybe it’s the fact that he used to run a punk label. Maybe it’s that he still says “hoagie.” …
The Tom Gamble Interview: The Napa Wine Parlay
Listen to the Podcast Interview Here Tom Gamble isn’t the kind of winemaker who romanticizes the past—he lives in it, farms it, and builds on it. A third-generation Napa Valley farmer, …
How to Train Your Wine Brain
So you want to get better at tasting wine, but you’re not sure where to start. Maybe you’ve taken a class or two. Maybe you haven’t. Maybe you’re just a wine-curious …
Keith Wallace Doesn’t Care What You Like (And That’s Why You’ll Learn Something)
Listen to the podcast here. There’s a moment in every wine lover’s life when they realize they’ve been lied to. Maybe it was the overpriced bottle that tasted like furniture polish. …
Five Wines You Need to Know to Avoid Sounding Like a Moron
You’re new to wine, and you don’t want to sound like a moron. Totally understandable. I’m going to outline the five wines you need to know to avoid sounding like a …
From Slam Poet to Sommelier: Anna Binkovitz Named Sommelier Student of the Year
How We Choose the Sommelier Student of the Year Every year, the Wine School of Philadelphia names one student whose presence in the classroom transforms the learning environment—someone who lifts up …
Resurrecting the Forgotten: 16 Grape Varietals Brought Back from the Brink
For much of the 20th century, winemaking centered on a narrow handful of grape varietals. The rest—hundreds of lesser-known grapes—were largely ignored, dismissed, or ripped from the ground entirely. Phylloxera, war, …
Tariffs and the Future of Wine in America
When wine lovers think about what’s in their glass, they tend to focus on varietals, vintages, and vineyards—not global trade policy. But for those of us in the wine trade, the …
Upcoming Advanced Sommelier Courses
Level Up: Advanced & Master Programs Now OpenFor students ready to move beyond the basics, our upcoming slate of Advanced and Master Programs offers unmatched opportunities to deepen your expertise, refine …
WTF Terroir? And Some Sancerre.
Uncorking Wine Wisdom: A Recap of the Latest Episode of After Wine SchoolThis week’s episode dives headfirst into one of the most debated topics in wine—terroir—and features a detailed tasting of …
One Question That Stumps the Best Sommeliers
At After Wine School, we believe in making wine approachable for everyone. Each episode, we dive into the world of wine without the pretension, focusing instead on its joys, quirks, and …
The Dark Arts of Wine Marketing
Wine marketing is a curious beast. One moment, you’re sipping an obscure rosé on a boat with industry insiders; the next, that same rosé is on every restaurant wine list in …
Our First Michelin-Starred Sommelier!
In February 2025, Fleur de Sel became the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Serbia to feature a sommelier trained at the Wine School of Philadelphia. That sommelier is Dušan Vranić—now the Head …