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Wine 101

5 out of 5 starsTrusted by 20,000+ students

Master the basics of wine

From your first sip to confident glass-in-hand, Wine 101 takes total beginners and turns them into informed wine enthusiasts. 75 lessons, 8 chapters

  • 8 chapters
  • 75 lessons
  • 9 videos
  • 4h
  • certificate
$99.99
lifetime access · usd

30-day money-back guarantee

Wine 101 course mark

Why Wine 101

Built to make wine click

Skip the jargon. We break wine down into pieces a normal person can hold onto, with visuals, practical tips, and short videos. By the end, you'll enjoy learning about wine as much as you enjoy drinking it.

Curriculum

Eight chapters, end to end

  1. Chapter 1

    Introduction

    What you'll learn, why we sequenced it this way, and how to get the most out of the course.

    1 video

  2. Chapter 2

    What is wine?

    What wine actually is, where it comes from, and the basic traits every drinker should be able to spot.

    3 videos · 8 lessons

  3. Chapter 3

    The main styles of wine

    The nine styles every drinker should know, from sparkling to dessert. How to spot them and what to expect on the palate.

    10 lessons

  4. Chapter 4

    Major wine grapes

    The ten grapes you'll meet most often and how to tell them apart by taste, structure, and aroma.

    10 lessons

  5. Chapter 5

    Wine regions of the world

    The major wine countries and what each is known for. France, Italy, Spain, and the New World.

    12 lessons

  6. Chapter 6

    How to taste wine

    How to taste with intent. Look, swirl, smell, sip, and the vocabulary to describe what you find.

    3 videos · 12 lessons

  7. Chapter 7

    Pairing food and wine

    How wine and food work together. The simple rules that hold up for any meal.

    3 videos

  8. Chapter 8

    Choosing glassware

    How the glass changes the wine. Which shape matters, which doesn't, and when to bother.

    1 video · 4 lessons

  9. Chapter 9

    Service and storage

    How to serve, store, and open wine like you actually know what you're doing.

    1 video · 6 lessons

Every grape, region, and map at your fingertips. keep studying with Wine Folly+ →

Get Certified

Earn your Wine 101 certificate

Pass the certification exam at the end of the course and earn a digital Wine Folly certificate. Your ticket to deeper understanding, better tasting, and some real bragging rights with friends.

Wine Folly course certificate

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Your wine guides

Taught by world-class wine educators

Wine 101 is taught by a James Beard award-winning author of the bestselling Wine Folly book and one of the world's most credentialed wine educators. Over 20,000 students taught.
Christine Marsiglio

Christine Marsiglio

Director of Education

Christine leads the tasting modules, drawing on her WSET Diploma teaching experience to break down the basics with clarity.

Director of Education and one of only 35 Bollinger award-winning Masters of Wine worldwide.

Read full bio
Christine is our Director of Education and one of only 35 Bollinger award-winning Masters of Wine worldwide.

Before Wine Folly, she taught the WSET Diploma in London and contributed to the latest global Diploma materials. She also led tastings at Decanter, running panels and organizing the Decanter World Wine Awards.

She's the rare expert who can teach at the Master of Wine level and still meet a beginner where they are.
Madeline Puckette

Madeline Puckette

Wine Folly Founder

Madeline frames the wine fundamentals with the same approachable storytelling that built Wine Folly into the world's go-to wine cheat sheet.

Wine Folly co-founder, James Beard Award winner, and New York Times bestselling author.

Read full bio
Madeline co-founded Wine Folly in 2011 and turned it into the world's go-to wine cheat sheet.

She's a James Beard Award winner, a New York Times bestselling author, and was named both Wine Blogger of the Year and Wine Communicator of the Year by the International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Her articles, infographics, and videos are what made wine knowledge feel approachable to a generation of drinkers.

student reviews

What students are saying

“I really enjoyed the Wine 101 class. My only recommendation, I wish I had taken this class before the French Wine class. To me the Wine 101 class set the foundation for learning about different styles of wine, where the French Class was a deep dive into the 12 wine regions of France. Also, I used the “How to Taste Wine” in my recent tasting at Fabbioli Cellers. This year they produced a medium body and tannin, with a high acidic - Sangiovese. I registered this black cherry/ plum flavor wine in my tasting journal.”

Donna J.

“This class has given me so much knowledge and making it so much fun to learn. I'm already looking at other classes that I want to take. Madeline makes it the learning feel like a friend of yours at your home walking you through wine. I've gone through other classes and they felt was too snooty or just boring and monotone. This class was nothing like that. I can't wait to do the Napa Valley class and take the test. Never been so excited about learning before.”

Ethan A.

“Newly employed by a store that sells mostly wine, I appreciate the book as well as my course notes to better describe the wines that people ask about. I buy a bottle or two every week of wines I might not otherwise have tried; Wine Folly has enabled me to taste wines with more informed expectations, and to make recommendations for pairing. I have a lot to learn, but I appreciate the friendly and approachable good start, thank you!”

Maggie E.

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Wine 101

$99.99
one-time · usd · yours forever
5 out of 5 stars
  • 8 chapters covering the entire foundation of wine
  • 75 lessons with practical, real-world tips
  • 9 expert videos
  • Tasting walk-throughs with our wine experts
  • Lifetime access, yours forever
  • Wine 101 certificate ($50 value)
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30-day money-back guarantee

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Next step

Ready to go pro?

Wine 201 takes you from confident enthusiast to certified wine professional, taught by the same Wine Folly team. Same instructors, more depth.

explore the next course →