Best Online Wine Classes

Napa Valley Wine Academy offers online classes in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) program, including courses for each level of the program with credentialed instructors.

With classes for wine enthusiasts and industry professionals, the Napa Valley Wine Academy has an impressive selection of online, self-paced courses. As an approved and award-winning program provider of the internationally recognized Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), this California-based school offers a range of courses from single workshops and virtual tastings to intensive wine and spirit certification courses for professionals.

Sign up for an introductory class such as How to Choose Wine Like a Pro ($49) and you will spend one to two hours learning about major wine varieties and what to consider when choosing wine. There's also a Wine 101 Foundation course, which offers a more comprehensive introduction to wine. All courses come with optional quizzes or exams to obtain certificates of completion as well as one year of access to the course materials.

The Napa Valley Wine Academy also offers curated courses on regional wines and professional certification courses, which are designed to take over multiple days and weeks. Not sure which classes are right for you? The website offers a brief survey to help guide you to the right course.

MasterClass offers a simple introductory wine course led by a world-renowned Wine Master for an affordable monthly subscription.

In addition to a variety of classes on everything from fashion design and space exploration to the art of home cooking, MasterClass has an online wine appreciation course led by world-renowned wine critic and producer James Suckling. For $180 ($15 per month, billed annually), students spend more than two hours learning about all aspects of wine, from the vine to the glass.

The course is divided into 11 video lessons on viticulture and wine-producing across different global regions and covers tasting techniques, storing and curating wine, and reading and ordering from a wine list.

Suckling also touches on the rules and recommendations for pairing wine with food, the factors that influence a great wine during cultivation (like soil and climate), and the common characteristics of different varietals and key elements of wine when tasting.

The course is designed to deepen your appreciation of wine and its history and make you a more confident wine drinker with some fun along the way.

The Wine School of Philadelphia offers introductory courses in addition to courses for each level to earn a certification.

Recognized as one of the top wine schools in the U.S. by SOMM, an independent board comprised of sommeliers and others in the wine industry, the Wine School of Philadelphia offers a full range of programming.

People interested in learning some of the basics of wine can take the one-hour Wine 101 class or similar courses, while more serious wine drinkers looking to become a certified sommelier can take one of several classes that last for three months. All classes are taught by sommeliers over Zoom.

With the Wine School of Philadelphia, you can also attend a virtual wine tasting, learn about the great wines of Rioja, Tuscany, and Greece, and pick up some trade secrets from sommeliers—such as how to spend less money on high-quality wine.

You can ask questions in real-time and chat with others about the wines you have tasted. Check the school's calendar of virtual classes for course offerings. Classes start at around $150.

Children’s Atlas of Wine offers individual courses and tastings for wines that are wild-fermented without chemicals, teaching students about lesser-known grapes and wine producers.

Founded by Brooklyn-based sommelier, writer, and educator James Sligh, the Children’s Atlas of Wine is an online platform dedicated to selling fine art prints of regional wine maps as well as providing wine education through remote workshops and home wine kits. 

For $99 plus shipping, you can order a class wine “kit” that includes three bottles of wine delivered to your door to start enjoying during class, along with food pairing suggestions, class materials, and a link to an 80-minute virtual tasting with Sligh.

Class topics change weekly but will feature natural wines from lesser-known grape varieties and new emerging producers, all of which are farmed without chemicals and wild fermented. In addition to learning about the history of the specific wine in your kit, discussions will include how to have meaningful conversations about wine, how to serve and store wine, and how to pair food with wine.

Because the wines featured are not mainstream, these classes are a great fit for recreational wine drinkers and professionals alike. Private sessions are available upon request. Advance registration is required to allow time for wines to ship, so check the class calendar to sign up and purchase kits before registration closes.

Corkbuzz offers wine classes that focus on wines from specific regions, discussing wine history, geography, and producers.

With locations in New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina, restaurant and wine bar Corkbuzz started offering virtual wine classes in early 2020 and has since hosted thousands of people via Zoom.

Classes are primarily organized by region—you'll learn about the sparkling wines of Italy, wines made in the Pacific Northwest, Australian and New Zealand wines, and more. For just $15 per ticket, attendees will spend one hour learning about wine regions, history, geography, and producers led by a Corkbuzz sommelier.

Wines are preselected to pair with each class and can be available for local pickup or purchased on your own. Classes are held live, and attendees can ask questions and interact with the instructor.

For $30, you can watch several months' worth of previous classes such as blind-tasting workshops and courses on sparkling wines and biodynamic wines. Corkbuzz also offers private virtual events upon request.

Rioja Wine Academy focuses on Spanish wines with certifications available and multiple types of classes to choose from.

The Rioja Wine Academy is an online platform created for professionals and wine lovers to learn about Rioja wines. It was created by the Regulatory Council of DOCa Rioja in Spain, the body that denotes certification of origin for wines from the Spanish region of Rioja. The platform is available in both English and Spanish.

The intention is to train passionate professionals and wine aficionados interested in learning more about the history and classifications of Rioja wines, including the terroir and flavor nuances. Viticulture regulations, aspects of production, grape varietals, tourism, and gastronomy will all be covered.

There are several courses available: the Rioja Wine Diploma, Diploma in Rioja Wine Tourism, Rioja Wine Diploma for Trade and Distribution, and the Rioja Wine Certified Educator.

Each course is 15-30 hours, divided into a selection of modules, and can be taken at your own pace. The end of each course culminates with a set of review questions and a final exam, on which students must get at least a 75 percent to receive a diploma.

Students have the option to take the exam twice; if you fail to pass, you can take it again three months later. All courses are free of charge and can be taken multiple times.