Wine course reviews — the confidential shortlist.
We've sat through 13 wine and winemaking courses — paid and free, on-demand video, live online, downloadable, and in-person classroom. The recommendations live here. The names of the paid courses we tell you to skip live in your inbox.
What's in the email
One real email from Russ. No drip sequence, no "Part 1 of 7". The full shortlist, plain text, with links you can click.
The 5 paid courses worth taking
Full notes on each — what they cover, what they skip, and which one to take first based on whether you want a credential or just knowledge.
The 5 free courses we recommend
Direct links and the order to watch them in. You can build a complete beginner's wine education without spending a dollar.
The 3 paid courses to skip
Names, prices, and the specific reason each one wastes your money. We won't put this in public — but we'll put it in your inbox.
Paid courses worth your money
Five courses we'd take again. One has a full public review. The rest get full notes by email.
WSET Level 1 Award in Wines (Online, On Demand)
Napa Valley Wine Academy
The cleanest on-ramp to a real wine credential. Six hours of self-paced lessons plus a proctored exam — and the WSET pin at the end is recognized worldwide.
WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
Napa Valley Wine Academy
The natural next step after Level 1 — region-by-region depth, plus a real tasting component. Russ's full notes (and whether to skip Level 1 and go straight here) are in the email.
World of Wine: From Grape to Glass
UC Davis (Coursera)
Free to audit, paid for the certificate. Taught by UC Davis faculty — one of the only academic wine programs on the planet. Russ's verdict on whether the cert is worth it is in the email.
Wine Folly Master Course (Download + Book)
Wine Folly
Beautifully designed, infographic-heavy self-study. Great for visual learners. Full notes on what it does and doesn't cover are in the email.
Community college continuing-ed home winemaking class
Local community college (varies by city)
If you can find one in your city, take it. Hands-on, classroom-based, usually 4–6 weeks. Russ shares the exact questions to ask before enrolling in the email.
Best free wine courses & resources
We share these publicly because there's no harm in it — these are the ones we'd point a friend to first.
Viticulture & Enology — Open Courseware
UC Davis Library
Lecture notes, slides, and reading lists from one of the world's top wine programs. Not a guided course — but if you'd rather read than watch, this is the gold standard.
Visit course siteThe Home Winemaking Channel
YouTube (Mike Yago)
Hundreds of practical home winemaking videos by a guy who actually makes wine. Start with his 'first batch' playlist.
Visit course siteWine 101 — Free Articles & Maps
Wine Folly
The free side of Wine Folly — region maps, varietal profiles, and food pairing charts. A great companion to any paid course.
Visit course siter/winemaking community wiki
The community-curated wiki has practical answers to almost every beginner question — and the active subreddit will troubleshoot your batch in real time for free.
Visit course siteNorthern Brewer winemaking video library
Northern Brewer / Brewing TV
Equipment-focused walk-throughs from a major homebrew retailer. Especially good for racking, bottling, and sanitization technique.
Visit course sitePaid courses we don't recommend
Three paid courses charging real money for content that isn't worth it. We won't trash them in public — but if you ask, we'll tell you privately.
Name withheld
Online · On demand · ~$199
Heavy upsells, light content. Most of the value is locked behind a second purchase. Russ names names in the email.
Request the list to see the nameName withheld
Online · Live · ~$449
Charismatic instructor, but the curriculum is a YouTube playlist with a price tag. Get the whole story in the email.
Request the list to see the nameName withheld
Download · ~$99
Outdated material recycled from a 2014 PDF. Cheap, but you'll learn more on r/winemaking in an afternoon. Email reveals which one.
Request the list to see the nameWe're not in the business of trash-talking other educators in public.
A bad public review of a course can cost a small business owner their livelihood, and we've made enough mistakes ourselves to know that's not a power we want to wield casually. But if you're about to spend $300 on a course we think is junk, we'd rather tell you quietly than let you find out the hard way. That's what the email is for.