The basic techniques are taught : the four basic sensations, aromas, balance, vocabulary. You’ll learn a very great deal about grapes and wines, how to recognize their characteristics, judge the good from the poor or the simply mediocre. The progress from theory to practice can be pretty unremitting but, after three days you will really be able to judge wines from a sound base – and gain so much more enjoyment from drinking them in the future.

This course is for people with a fair degree of knowledge, but it is not just a useful exercise to brush up on the characteristics of the different grape varieties, what they bring to a blend, their defects and diseases. It covers vinification techniques, types of wine, how to choose which should be drunk quickly, which will benefit from being laid down. You will learn more about regional differences, the main points of French and European legislation, how the quality control bodies work, how wines are classified. It can be pretty hard work – but enormously useful and potentially valuable !