Monthly Themed Tasting Classes
A little learning, a lot to enjoy!
Whether you already know your Barolo from your Beaujolais, or simply know what you like when you taste it, our small-group classes are designed to make wine easier to understand and more enjoyable to explore.
Our guided tastings, delivered in small groups, will help you understand why one wine tastes different from another, discover the styles you enjoy most and pick up practical tips for choosing bottles with more confidence.
Over the course we will look at the grapes, the places, the people and the decision making behind the wines. We’ll upgrade the experience of every glass you drink. We recommend the Palate Boot Camp for beginners or anyone a little rusty, however the rest of the classes have their own themes and work as a stand-alone sessions.So simply choose the ones that appeal to you.
“A very enjoyable learning experience! A small group sitting around a dining table with a wine expert, tasting and improving your understanding about wines and what you enjoy. Many thanks again! 5 stars and “would recommend “ 😀”
The Line-Up
1. Palate Boot Camp
Full-bodied. Racy. Grippy. But what do wine writers actually mean?
We taste a range of wines to explore the building blocks of wine: acidity, tannin, sweetness, body and texture. You will discover what makes one wine feel fresh and lively, another broad and weighty and another pleasantly chewy.
This is a workout for your palate, without the Lycra.
This class builds a great foundation for exploring wine going forward and, even if you are familiar with these building blocks, is a great refresher to recalibrate your palate.
2. Bubble Wars
Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, English Sparkling Wine, Crémant and Pet Nat. One blind flight. Can you tell the difference?
We taste a line-up of sparkling wines side by side, explore how they are made and see what difference the method, grape varieties and origin make. You score the wines, vote for your favourites and discover whether the most expensive bottle gets the loudest cheer.
A lively session for fizz lovers, value hunters and anyone who has ever wondered what, exactly, makes Champagne Champagne.You will learn through a carefully curated tasting experience, supported by a few clear visual aids.
3. Style Conscious?
‘Crisp and zesty’, ‘rich and toasty’ or ‘smooth and elegant’. Let’s translate these shelf talkers.
We taste contrasting red and white wine styles blind and play ‘match the wine to the description’. Along the way we discover why talking about wine style can sometimes be more useful than talking about grape variety, when choosing a bottle.
A practical class for anyone who wants to understand their own preferences and pick up tips on talking about wine with shop staff so that they can more reliably find bottles they will enjoy.
4. Master the Wine List
Never freeze up at a restaurant again. A bluffer’s guide to choosing wine from the list.
We dissect real restaurant wine lists, taste a flight matched to different menu categories, explore food pairing and share a few pointers on how to quiz the sommelier.
A relaxed guide to ordering wine in a restaurant. One for anyone who has ever felt slightly overwhelmed when presented with a wine list, or disappointed by the bottle they eventually chose.
5. Price and Value: Where’s the Sweet Spot?
The more you spend, the better the wine is right? Or is it?
We taste and rank six wines blind, ranging from £10 to £100. No labels, no reputations and no idea what anything costs until the scores are in.
We explore how wine is priced, what influences quality and whether spending more really buys you more enjoyment.
A session for anyone who likes drinking well and wants to know whether they are ‘high maintenance’ or a ‘cheap date’.
6. Nose Blind: The Aroma Wheel Challenge
Wet stone, petrol, tomato leaf, can you actually smell them? Put your nose to the test.
We play a blind nosing game using an aroma kit, explore how the wine aroma wheel categorises scents and then test our new skills with a matched tasting flight.
A class exploring the fascinating world of wine aromas. Ideal for anyone who wants to dive a little deeper into what their nose can tell them about a wine.
7. Factory Wines, Funky Wines and Family Wines: Which Are Just Fine?
Global best sellers, natural wines and traditional family estate wines. Their secrets revealed. We put them on trial and you’re the jury.
Taste blind and compare a line-up of big brand, natural and low intervention wines, then vote for your favourites. We reveal the remarkably different wine making stories behind each bottle.
A session exploring different approaches to wine making and contrasting wine cultures. One for anyone curious about what actually goes into a bottle of wine.
8. Respect the Elders or Rejoice in the Bloom of Youth?
Is it worth waiting a decade or two for a wine to mature, or does modern wine making mean we can have it all straight away?
Adam selects a flight of joyously youthful wines and Kiran a flight of venerable vintage wines. Which will come out on top? You decide.
A session on maturity, ageing and drinking windows, for anyone who has wondered whether patience is rewarded or whether the best time to drink a wine is simply tonight.
9. Guess the Grape Variety
Six wines, six grape varieties, no labels. Can you recognise the classics?
We taste a blind flight of classic single variety wines and explore what makes each grape distinctive and why these varieties have become so popular around the world.
A session on classic grape varieties. Equally suited to those who think they know the classics and those who would simply like to learn more about them.
10. New World vs Old World
France and Italy go head to head with California and Australia. Same grapes, different continents. You decide the winner.
Kiran champions the old and Stuart the new and we taste mirrored pairs by grape variety, score the wines and vote to crown a champion in each round.
The old divisions between ‘Old World’ and ‘New World’ are becoming less tidy. Europe is getting warmer, New World winemakers are chasing freshness and restraint, and everyone is borrowing ideas from everyone else.
Can we still taste the difference? Does it matter? And which wines will you prefer when the labels are out of sight?
Join us for our very own ‘Judgement of Highgate’ (and if that means nothing to you, seek out the movie Bottle Shock).
“Super-informative, relaxed and fun, Kiran is a great wine educator and enthusiast. Enjoying Wine definitely does what it says on the tin”
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WanderCurtis Wine 