Overview

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Wine tasting becomes more precise when you can recognize how varietals differ in flavor and aroma. In this beginner-friendly course, you’ll compare and contrast eight classic red wines and eight classic white wines while building the vocabulary used to describe them clearly and accurately. You’ll examine the flavor profiles of major varietals and learn how growing requirements, location, and cultural and historic context shape each wine’s identity. You’ll also strengthen your sensory awareness and practice putting aroma attributes into words. By the end, you’ll write a descriptive analysis of a wine’s aroma and create flavor standards to support future tasting practice. This course is designed for beginners, wine enthusiasts, hospitality learners, and anyone who wants a more structured approach to tasting and discussing wine.

Syllabus

Getting Started
Wine Flavor and Aroma

This module introduces the foundational concepts of wine flavor and aroma evaluation. Learners will explore the aroma wheel, develop a sensory vocabulary for describing wine, and become familiar with major grape varietals and classic Bordeaux wine styles while learning how to select representative wines for tasting and study.

White Varietals

This module explores classic white wine varietals, examining their flavor profiles, growing conditions, historical origins, and key wine-producing regions. Learners will compare the characteristics of major white grapes and understand how factors such as climate, noble rot, and winemaking practices influence wine style and aroma.

Red Varietals

This module explores classic red wine varietals, examining their flavor profiles, growing conditions, historical origins, and key wine-producing regions. Learners will understand how factors such as climate, noble rot, and winemaking practices influence wine style and aroma.

Setting Up a Tasting

In this module, you will write a descriptive analysis of the aroma attributes you identify in a particular wine. Finally, you’ll create flavor standards to help you develop your sensory vocabulary.

Review

This module provides an opportunity to assess your understanding of the flavor profiles, growing conditions, historical backgrounds, and key characteristics of classic red and white wine varietals. You will also review concepts related to wine aroma, sensory evaluation, and flavor vocabulary developed throughout the course.