Previous to this summer, I took two online winemaking classes through Washington State University in 2009/2010. In 2007 I took the Intermediate Level of the WSET (Wine and Spirits Trust) class. So it has been awhile since I have taken any wine or winemaking classes. This summer I had the opportunity to take the online version of the California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS) class through the San Francisco Wine School.

Vineyard view at Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate in the Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma County

Of the classes, the CWAS was my favorite. The online version was great and the discussions really added to the class. Back in my days as a lecturer at Towson University, I taught some online classes. I felt then, as now, that online discussions have advantages over face-to-face discussions. In the latter, there is always someone that attempts to hide and not participate. If you want to get credit, you cannot hide online; you have to post to the discussions. Of course there is the concern that some students will post a word or two, but in my experience they seem to write much more than they would ever say in a face-to-face class. Perhaps this is due to the ability to think before you hit the enter key. There may also be a bit of peer pressure involved. It is difficult to write a few words when everyone else is writing paragraphs and essays. A few words stand out. During the discussions, we learned from each other.

Because of the course, I have a much greater understanding of appellations in general and appellations in California in specific. As Kathy and I travel to write about wineries around the world, we can key into the concept of appellations. Also because of this course, we plan to visit many of the Californian appellations that we have not yet visited. For this year that will include Lodi, Clarksburg, Santa Barbara County and its sub-appellations. With almost half of the wineries in the United States located in California, there is much to be discovered.

Vineyards near the Vigilance Winery tasting room in the Red Hills of Lake County AVA

While studying appellations, one also studies geography and climate. I have a much better understanding of how some areas of California are cool enough for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while just a few miles away it is hot enough for Bordeaux and Rhone varieties. Although it did help to be in Lompoc at the beginning of July and notice that pools were vacated in late afternoon and a cool mist was in the air covering vineyards in the morning.

This course as well as the WSET had an exam at the end. I studied for the exam by making flash cards and Kathy helped quiz me. For my next online class I will create all flash cards on my phone. Flash cards were necessary to help memorize many of the important facts. The exam consisted of 100 multiple choice questions. You had 60 minutes to complete the exam. I discovered that I answered all the questions in 40 minutes. I then went back and re-evaluated my responses for a few of the questions. I only made two errors on the exam questions and one was because I did not read it as carefully as I should have.

Eight of the content sessions divided the state into area and the appellations in those areas were explored. This online class could be a model for additional classes that are taught at the San Francisco Wine School. People took the online class from throughout the country. The school offers many more classes, but one needs to travel to San Francisco to take most of the classes. Teaching the class online opens the class up to people from throughout the country. The sessions were a week apart. For eight of the sessions you had to buy two wines and write about them. You actually find yourself enjoying homework.

The class lasted ten weeks including an introduction session and the exam session. Sessions were introduced on Mondays so you could not work ahead of the rest of the class. The pacing of a week provided ample time to synthesis the content and memorize the facts. Cramming the class into a weekend would work for some people, but would overwhelm many others. The weekly pacing fit well.

I hope the San Francisco Wine School would consider offering other classes online. I always felt there is a bit of a gap in wine education in the United States. Not everyone is interested in formal college viticulture and oenology courses. Likewise not everyone is interested in sommelier tracks or master of wine tracks. If you want to learn more about wine especially the appellations in California, consider taking the California Wine Appellation Specialist class through the San Francisco Wine School.

Cheers,
Terry