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Unless clearly noted in the name of the class, all of our classes are held at our Houston location in the Upper Kirby District. 2301 Portsmouth, Houston, TX 77098.
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While the term “sommelier” is not trademarked, most people in the profession associate the term with the Court of Master Sommeliers, which certifies candidates at various stages on the path to becoming a Master Sommelier by administering a three-pronged exam of Tasting, Theory and Service. While the Texas Wine School does not directly prepare students for a Court of Masters certification, we do offer a number of classes that will prepare students for both the Theory and Tasting components of the exam. In fact, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust courses are an attractive alternative to many who wish to further their wine knowledge without studying the service aspect of the business.
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Yes! All of our non-certification classes are appropriate for beginners. Depending on the topic, the course may quickly go into some depth, but we do not presume that students come into class with any pre-existing wine knowledge. Certification classes are multiple-week classes, clearly labeled as such in the course name/description.)
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Yes! All of our classes include wine tasting. In each class, we guide students through a systematic approach to tasting wine that gives students a foundation for describing wines.
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No. Even in food or cheese pairing classes, the portions are meant for tasting only. We recommend that students plan to eat dinner before they arrive.
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We like to keep our classes fresh, and are always adding brand new classes. Some of these may be similar to the class you are interested in. The best way to see what classes are offered soon is to view the calendar. If you still don’t see the topic that interests you, please let us know! Send an email to information@thetexaswineschool.com. Many times, if we know there is enough interest, we are happy to add the class to our schedule.
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For WSET Level 1, we usually allow you to make up the class during the next session. Since we run the class (roughly) once a month, this works fairly well. We do need to know if you will miss the last class, as the exam is given during the last hour of the last class. Students must be registered with WSET in advance, and are charged a re-sit fee if they do not sit an exam for which they are registered.For WSET Levels 2 and 3, you simply miss the class (and the tasting). Students are able to access pre-recorded lectures for each class, including any they miss, but they will miss the tasting component of that class.For a French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Scholar and Spanish Wine Scholar, students who miss a class simply miss that class. There are abundant online materials that support the class, which all students will have access to.
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Level 1 is for students who are not in the industry, who haven’t been in school for awhile, and who are not confident in their wine knowledge. The class starts at the very beginning: wine is made from grapes through a process called fermentation. Wines can be red or white, sparkling or still, sweet or dry. Chardonnay is white, Merlot is red, etc. There is a good lesson on food and wine pairing, and a solid introduction to a systematic approach to tasting.Level 2 does not presume that students know about wine, but it delves much deeper and moves much faster. Students who are not in the industry, but who are comfortable diving into the material can be successful beginning at Level 2.
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Yes! We are happy to arrange a private class to be held at our space or yours. We can customize a topic and structure for your group that meets your goals. Sit-down classes are limited to a maximum of 30 people, while less formal educational structures are available for larger groups. Pricing depends on the date of the event, the location of the event and the size of the group. Email information@thetexaswineschool.com with specific questions.
