learn wine

Wine Spectator School: All courses are FREE for WineSpectator.com Members

Learn from the experts and get the most out of each sip. Take one of our online courses or take them all—from the ABCs of Tasting to in-depth seminars on Food Pairing, California Cabernet, Bordeaux, Tuscany, Sensory Evaluation and more.

Browse our course catalog
Check out the professional wine sales and service courses
Learn Wine Forum: Got questions? Get answers

Wine Basics

We break down the basics—how to taste, serve, store and more. Plus:
» Maps of major wine regions
» Grape variety characteristics

Ask Dr. Vinny

Saucy answers to your questions.

New: Everyone knows that sparkling wine from Champagne is called "Champagne," but can they make still wine there as well?, May 17, 2013

How-to Videos

Learn to taste wine like a pro, pull a cork with flair, get great wine service in a restaurant and more

Hard Labor: How Wine Is Made

Get down and dirty in this video series as we discover how much work it really takes to make wine.

Inside Wine

Delve into how wine is made and what affects its taste: ripeness and rot, tannins and sulfites, the dumb period and more.

Glossary of Wine Terms

Unfamiliar with a term in a tasting note? Don't know how to pronounce a word on a wine label? Look it up in our glossary, with audio pronunciations.

Wine Challenge

Test your knowledge with our fun, biweekly quiz.

New: How Do You Spell That Wine Word? Part 2, May 16, 2013

What Am I Tasting?

Test your tasting skills in our mystery-wine game.

New: Will this wine with style, presence and complex flavors steer you onto the path of revelation?

Name that Wine Game

We randomly select four wines and mix up their tasting notes—you find the matches.

Great Grapes

This series spotlights the most important wine varieties, exploring their major regions, most exciting wine styles and key influences.