74 Sommelier courses

People think of wine as the perfect partner to cheese, we're here to show you whilst that holds true, beer has just as much to offer.

Love Cheese? Love wine? Why not come along to our cheese and wine matching evenings and learn more about the best cheese and wine pairings to enjoy at home.

The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is the ideal starting point for anybody new to wine or those beginning a career in wine or hospitality. It lays the foundation for understanding wine, giving you confidence for food and wine pairing and an introduction to different wine styles. What the course covers: The basic skills and product knowledge required for the service and retail of wine The main types and styles of wine Common wine grapes and their characteristics How to make food and wine pairings How to store and serve wine How to taste and describe wine using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine®(SAT) The WSET Level 1 Award in Wines has full accreditation from OfQual as part of the UK Government’s Qualifications & Credits Framework as a Level 1 Vocational Qualification. We recommend you read the course specification document before you sign up for the course. Course delivery The Level 1 Award in Wines online course covers the same syllabus as the classroom course and is delivered in LIVE virtual lessons by one of our certified wine educators The course includes 6 hours online tuition in 3 x 2 hour sessions Your tutor will provide a guided tasting of 6 wines with you on this course (for details of how to order the wines for your course see below) You will receive access to practice multiple-choice revision questions specific to this course You will be sent details of how to join your LIVE sessions when you book Please note a reliable broadband connection is essential for the completion of this online course as is basic computer skills. Examination To obtain the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines Qualification, you will need to successfully pass the exam. The exam is made up of 30 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 45 minutes. You must answer at least 70% correctly to pass the exam. The exam is taken online via a Remote Invigilation service. We will arrange a suitable time/date for you to take your exam when you are ready to do so. Please ensure you read the information HERE if you wish to take the exam online.  The course fee includes: Course study guide, posted to you at no extra charge LIVE virtual, interactive sessions taught by a Local Wine School WSET Certified Tutor Exclusive access to practice multiple choice questions Registration with WSET and all examination fees Remote Invigilation service *Please note there are some minimum system requirement (contact us for more information) Internationally recognised WSET qualification certificate and pin for those who pass the exam VAT at 20% (VAT receipt can be provided on request). Course Wines: It is recommended that 6 wines are tasted as part of this course, although this is optional and not essential to complete the course. Please note that the cost of wines is not included in the course fee above. Our wine experts have specially selected wines for this course aligned to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. They have even negotiated a specially discounted price only available to our online students. The price of the 6 bottle case around £75.95 including delivery. Details of how to order your case of wines will be provided when you book your place. Special Educational Needs Please make the school aware if you have a condition that may mean that you will qualify for additional help during the exam such as dyslexia. Important dates Registration deadline: please book at least 5 days before the start of the course, to allow time to send materials and order the tasting wines.

The start of your wine tasting journey! Spend a couple of hours in the company of one of our qualified tutors practicing how to swirl, sniff and slurp your way around a glass of wine: learn to taste both whites and reds like a pro!

‘Both of these wines are [Grape X] from [Country Y] – so why is this one twice the price?’ It’s a question that we’re often asked, so for summer 2024, we’re putting on a trio of tastings to show what happens when you fork out some extra money. Each week, we’ll try four pairs of popular styles of wine, one bottle of we’ve bought for under £10, while the other has cost at least twice as much. And we’ll be trying each pair ‘blind’ – you’ll know what the wines are, but not which is in Glass 1 and which in Glass 2… We’ll have a chat about what it is in each case that makes one of the wines more expensive, then we’ll see which you prefer before revealing which is which. Do you have expensive tastes, or are you more at home with the cheap and cheerful? It’s a great opportunity to find out – and to taste some lovely wines!  The line-up for each week will be: Week 1 WHITES: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Italian Pinot Grigio REDS: Australian Shiraz, Red Bordeaux Week 2 WHITES: Loire Sauvignon Blanc, South African Chenin Blanc REDS: Rioja, New Zealand Pinot Noir Week 3 WHITES: White Burgundy, German Dry Riesling REDS: Red Rhône, Argentine Malbec Each week’s tasting will include 8 wines, and there’ll be some tasty cheese as accompaniment. The cost for each tasting is £37.50, but if you book for all three sessions, the price will be just £100, saving £12.50.

World Malbec Day is April 17th, although for some reason it’s actually called Malbec World Day. Meanwhile, May 6th is International Sauvignon Blanc Day. So how about a very special event between the two to celebrate these very special grapes? It’s a great opportunity to see how the “Old World” originals such as Sancerre and Cahors stack up against their “New World” counterparts such as New Zealand Sauvignon and Argentine Malbec. But it’s also a chance to see the success that winemakers are having with the two grapes in other parts of the world. Expect to see a range of styles too – in previous years, we’ve kicked off the day with a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, and finished with a fortified Malbec, for example. And we’ll have a dig through our cellars to see if we can find some rare older examples of both grapes We’ll taste 12 wines on the day (yes 6 of each!) with a break in the middle for a tasty two-course lunch. This is usually one of our most popular tastings, so do book soon to avoid disappointment

For many people we know, the first rule of wine is that it should be sparkling. If you fall into that bracket, or you know someone who does, allow us to introduce our Prestige Champagne and Sparkling Wine Masterclass.  There are two main ways in which this event stands out over our regular and very popular sparkling wine tastings. Firstly, we’ll be featuring eight wines rather than the usual six. Secondly, we’ll be focussing on more expensive bottles, with the line-up including a Prestige Cuvée from a well-known Champagne producer. What else can you expect? At least another couple of Champagnes as well as sparkling wines from other parts of Europe (England included) and a selection of the best of the New World. And with that amount of wine, we’ll have a couple of specially-selected cheeses on hand to mop up the bubbles and to show just how well fizz and cheese can go together. If you had to buy a bottle of each of these wines, it would cost over £300, which makes our price per ticket of just £55 look very appealing. We’re expecting this tasting to prove very popular, both for sparkling wine enthusiasts and also for those looking to buy a present for the fizz fans in their life. So if you’d like to book a place, we’d advise you to move quickly before they’ve all gone.

The combo of Fish and Chips with good white wines is a brilliant one – especially if some of those wines are sparkling! We’re equally thrilled to be able to host this tasting at The Real Greek in central Manchester, home of impeccable fish and chips and much more besides. We’ll kick off the evening by trying a trio of still wines that make great Fish and Chip partners – expect things like Spanish Albariño, Australian Riesling, Greek Assyrtiko and South African Sauvignon Blanc. There’ll also be some classic Greek flatbread and dips on the side to stop tummies rumbling too much. And then for the main event, we’ll try our fish and chips alongside three sparkling wines, including Champagne. If past experience is anything to go by, expect a fun-filled tasting where you’ll learn a little, laugh a lot and enjoy a great evening of food and wine. (a vegetarian alternative of Halloumi & Vegetable Skewer and Chips is also available - please notify us at the time of booking if you'd prefer this option. Also, let us know at the time of booking if you have any specific dietary requirements and we will liaise with the restaurant to try and accommodate them.)

Spain’s most famous wine region could arguably stake a claim to being the world’s most popular one too – it’s a rare wine drinker who hasn’t been wooed by the charms of Rioja. And while we’re big fans of the good everyday bottles – what we think of as Wednesday night, sausage-and-mash gluggers – we thought it was time for another tasting to show what happens when the producers pull all the stops out. Because this is a place with a magnificent heritage, a magnificent terroir – or to be more accurate several magnificent terroirs – and a magnificent array of grape varieties. So join us as we explore the higher reaches of Rioja, and look at the many expressions of its wines. There’ll be traditional wines, there’ll be modern ones. There’ll be wines made from a variety of grapes, there’ll be ones made from just one. There’ll be young wines, there’ll be older wines. There'll be blends from across the region, but there'll also be examples of the recently-introduced 'Viñedo Singular' - single vineyard wines. And in among the delicious reds, there’ll be at least one of the undersung white wines. We’ll be trying at least eight wines with an average price of over £25 – and there’ll be some Manchego to nibble on the side. It’s a great opportunity to see what makes a great wine region great, and we look forward to sharing these treasures with you.

There are lots of people who think that the first task of any wine is to be red. We meet you at our events, and while you’re (usually) very polite about the white wines, your eyes light up when we say, ‘And now let's move on to the reds…’ So we’re putting on a tasting just for you, in which we’ll focus on rich red wines, seven of them, with some rather tasty cheese on the side. To show that red wine can be full-flavoured without being full-bodied, we’ll begin with reds that are refreshing and fragrant, probably from Italy and France. Then we’ll move on to wine that are draughts of the warm south, most likely from countries close to the Mediterranean. Spain. And we’ll finish with gutsy Malbec or Australian Shiraz (aka Blood-and-Thunder from Down Under). Or possible both. Whatever the line-up, you can be assured of an excellent, belly-warming and tooth-staining evening.