Club Syllabus

The Online Wine Tasting Club

Syllabus v1.0 (From Jan 2024)

During 12 months of membership, with 72 wines each year, we will cover almost all of the following topics. 

Please note, if you choose to receive packs every two or three months rather, than monthly, it will take you longer to cover the full syllabus.

Viticulture

  • Grape structure
  • Vineyard Location 
  • Pruning & Training
  • Vineyard tools
  • Biodynamic & Organic Farming
  • Regenerative Viticulture
  • Diseases & Pests
  • Soil & Nutrition
  • Climate change

Winemaking

  • Process: Harvesting, Crushing, fermentation, pressing, storage and/or maturation, blending, fining, filtering, “Natural Winemaking”
  • Adjustments: addition of sugar, adjustment to acidity, preservatives, inert gas, enzymes
  • Microbial additions: native yeast, cultured yeast, MLF
  • Fermentation treatment: temperature, oxygen contact, lees
  • Red Wine: punch downs, pumpovers, extraction
  • Rosé making
  • Vessels: Oak, Steel, Concrete, Clay
  • Oak treatment: chips & staves, barrels, sizes, new vs old, toasting
  • Blending: consistency, complexity, style, co-fermenting, field blends
  • Ageing

Characteristics of Wine & Wine Judging

  • Wine Tasting Technique
  • Alcohol
  • Acidity
  • Tannin
  • Body
  • Colour 
  • Intensity of Aroma & Flavour
  • Length
  • Complexity
  • Overall evaluation

You will learn about all of the following topics, but won’t necessarily taste every single grape or region over the course of one year.

Wine Styles

  • Still Wines
  • Low / No Alcohol Wines
  • Fortified wines
  • Botrytis & Ice Wine
  • Oxidative and Flor-aged Wines

Black Grape Varieties

  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Syrah / Shiraz
  • Pinot Noir / Nero / Spätburgunder
  • Grenache / Garnacha
  • Mourvedre / Monastrell / Mataro
  • Malbec
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Nebbiolo
  • Montepulciano
  • Zinfandel / Primitivo
  • Sangiovese

White Grape Varieties

  • Chardonnay
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Pinot Gris / Grigio
  • Riesling
  • Trebbiano
  • Semillon
  • Albariño
  • Gewurztraminer
  • Garganega
  • Bacchus
  • Assyrtiko
  • Malvasia
  • Muscadet
  • Fiano
  • Tokaji

Environment

  • Climates: Cool, Moderate, Warm, Rivers, Oceans
  • Early / Late Harvest
  • Slope / Aspect

Regions:

    • France
      • Alsace (Grand Cru)
      • Burgundy (Premier Cru, Grand Cru)
        • Gevrey-Chambertin
        • Nuits-Saint-Georges
        • Beaune
        • Pommard
      • Bordeaux (Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Cru Bourgeois, Grand Cru Classé)
        • Médoc
        • Pauillac
        • Margaux
        • Graves
        • Pessac-Léognan
        • Saint-Émilion
        • Pomerol
      • Rhone
        • Condrieu
        • Crozes-Hermitage
        • Hermitage
        • Côte Rôtie
        • Côtes du Rhône
          • Côtes du Rhône Villages
          • Châteauneuf-du-Pape
      • Loire
        • Sancerre
        • Pouilly-Fumé
        • Touraine
      • Languedoc
    • Italy (DOC, DOCG, Classico, Riserva)
      • Veneto
      • Delle Venezie
      • Friuli-Venezia Giulia
      • Barolo
      • Barbaresco
      • Barbera d’Asti
      • Chianti
      • Brunello di Montalcino
      • Soave
      • Abruzzo
      • Puglia
      • Valpolicella
      • Gavi
    • Argentina
      • Mendoza
    • Spain (Joven, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva)
      • Rioja
      • Ribera del Duero
      • Navarra
      • Catalunya
      • Priorat
      • Rias Baixas
      • Jeres / Sherry
    • Portugal 
      • Porto
      • Vinho Verde
      • Douro
      • Alantejo
    • USA
      • California
        • Napa Valley
          • Rutherford
          • Oakville
          • Calistoga
        • Sonoma
        • Carneros
        • Santa Barbara County
      • Oregon
      • New York
    • Chile
      • Central Valley
      • Colchagua
      • Maipo
      • Casablanca Valley
    • South Africa
      • Stellenbosch / Franschoek
      • Swartland
      • Walker Bay
      • Elgin
      • Constantia
    • Australia
      • Margaret River
      • Coonawarra
      • South Eastern Australia
      • Yarra Valley
      • Adelaide Hills
      • Clare Valley
      • Eden Valley
      • Barossa Valley
      • McLaren Vale
      • Tasmania
    • New Zealand
      • Hawke’s Bay
      • Marlborough
    • Germany (Prädikatswein, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese (BA), Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), Eiswein, Trocken, Halbtrocken)
      • Mosel
      • Pfalz
      • Rheingau
    • Hungary (Aszu)
      • Tokaji
  • Sparkling Wines
    •
        • Regions
          • English Sparkling Wine
          • Cava
          • Champagne
          • Crémant
          • Asti
          • Prosecco
          • Méthode Cap Classique
          • New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania
        • Sweetness
          • Brut Nature, Brut, Dry, Demi-Sec
  •  Fortified Wines
    •
      • Sherry
        • PX / Oloroso / Amontillado / Cream / Fino / Medium
      • Port
        • LBV / Tawny / Ruby / Vintage
      • Madeira

    Wine Faults

    • Cork Taint
    • Oxidation
    • Volatile Acidity
    • Mousiness
    • Heat Damage

    Wine Packaging

    • Glass bottles
      • Natural Corks
      • Synthetic Corks
      • Agglomerated Corks
      • Screw caps
      • Stoppers
    • Cans
    • Bag in Box & Pouches

    Food & Wine Pairing

    • Sweetness
    • Acidity
    • Tannin
    • Bitterness
    • Umami
    • Salt
    • Spice
    • Flavour Intensity
    • Fat
    • Fruitiness

    Wine Ageing

    • What makes it age well / badly
    • Which wines age well / badly
    • How to store wine

    Serving Wine

    • Glasses
    • Decanting
    • Serving Temperature