I have had my share of wine classes. The first class I took was a tasting class through the local community college. At the time the class was a bit intimidating. Then I took the intermediate level of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. These classes I would group in the social sciences. I switched disciplines for two online winemaking courses I took through Washington State University. I believe what made those classes valuable was the wine I was making at Vint Hill Craft Winery in Vint Hill, Virginia. I was able to utilize what was taught in the class in the lab and winery.

It has been awhile since I took a formal wine class in either the math/sciences or social sciences disciplines. I was invited to take the California Wine Appellation Specialist CWAS course offered through the San Francisco Wine School. Since I live in Maryland, I took the ten week online version of the class. A decade ago I taught online classes at Towson University. I wish that then, I had the use of Canvas, the online platform that this wine course is using. As an online class, the Canvas portal makes everything easy to use and is user friendly.

Homework Roederer Estates Brut (Mendocino County) vs. Mumm Napa Brut (Napa Valley)

Class Structure

Of the ten classes that make up the course, eight are content classes that focus on different wine regions of California and their appellations and sub-appellations. The first class is an orientation class that focuses on the wine tasting method, general information about California wine and wine law. The tenth class is the final exam.

The class content is made available on Canvas (via the Internet) on Monday. You have a week to complete the class, however one assignment is due on Wednesday. It is expected that you will spend several hours per week on the class. I’ve been spending about eight hours, in part because I find the discussions so interesting that I check back daily to read what others in the class have written.

My first task on Monday is to read the announcement the instructor made. I then read the discussion assignment that is due on Wednesday. I usually work on that on Monday and post it in the discussion area of Canvas on Monday. Throughout the week I read what others have posted and comment at times. We are required to make two comments during the week.

For one homework assignment I opened the 40th Anniversary of Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon.

I then read the wine assignment. For each of the eight content classes there is a requirement to taste two wines from the region studied. Our instructor varies what we are to do. I had to evaluate the wines for one week, compare the wines to previous wines on another week, discuss how easy/difficult it was to find wines in a local wine store during one week and another week made a video convincing people to buy the wines. After I figured out what to do about getting the wines, I make a journey to my wine cellar, local wine store or Total Wine a bit of a longer trek.

My next task is to view the week’s objectives and the presentation that covers the content for the week. I make flash cards to quiz myself on the content; can use them in the future for a California wine party. I finish the week taking the quiz. I’ll add additional flash cards if there is a quiz question that I did not have a flash card about. This rarely happened. My first quiz took me over ten minutes, subsequent quizzes have been in the five-minute time frame.

Opinion of the Class

This class is fun. Perhaps this is due to the homework. How many opportunities is there to have homework that requires you to taste wine? I also like the discussions. This particular course session has several media people in it and discussions are often lively and always interesting. Of course it does help that I have visited five of the eight wine regions that are covered in the course content. Wine travel is a road that leads to wine knowledge. The quizzes reflect the objectives. This is educationally sound. The final WSET exam that I took was disconnected to the book and course content, not a good educational practice.

Recommendations

Our instructor gives our wine assignment on Mondays. I wish I had all the wine assignments at the beginning of the course. It would be easier to select the wines at one or two times rather than making a trip to a wine shop every week. I went to a Costco in Santa Maria while I was in Santa Barbara County this week. They had a good selection of Santa Barbara County wines from different appellations. Since I do not know the particular wine assignment when we learn about that region, I did not pick up any of the Santa Barbara County wines. Our Costco stores in Maryland do not sell alcohol so that resource is lost.

I enjoy making the flash cards. It would seem to be a good resource to provide a text document of the flash card questions/answers and have the students print them. That way they are definitely covering what you want them to learn.

If you like California wine, work in a wine shop or restaurant that sells California wine or are just interested in wine, this course is for you. The structure is well thought out, the discussions are entertaining and informative and homework is delightful. Find out more information about the course at the San Francisco Wine School. The next session begins on August 4th with orientation beginning July 28th.

Cheers,
Terry