TorontoWine.Com

your guide to wine in the city

Wine Education in Toronto 

This page has four sections:

• Consumer Courses
• TV & Radio
• Sommelier Courses
• On-Line Education

For unstructured education, visit the Books page.

Consumer Courses

George Brown College has a variety of daytime and evening courses available through its Hospitality & Culinary Arts program.

The most rigorous program is put on by The Independent Wine Education Guild which is an accredited centre for the The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, a UK based organization, whose certification program is recognized world-wide.  The program was developed as vocational training for those working in the hospitality industry however it is also available to the keen amateur.  There are three levels - Intermediate, Advanced and Diploma.  Note that course fees are tax deductible.  If interested, contact the office at 416-534-2570 or by email.



Global Wine Tour provide a variety of workshops, taught by Steve Thurlow, and David Calado, Global's founder and education director.  Each workshop is for one evening only, catering for people who are too busy to commit to a four week course or longer.  Each month, five different workshops are featured including one that explores the wines of a particular country.      

The LCBO runs one hour tutored tastings and two hour wine appreciation courses at selected stores across Ontario.  They also put on cooking classes and a number of special events such as food and drink pairing and product tastings from top winemakers.  In Toronto, courses are held at Yonge and Summerhill, Bayview Village Mall and The Kingsway.  Online education is also available through a video podcast series.

If you are interested in starting up your own agency in order to import wine, spirits and beer into the Ontario marketplace, I highly recommend Steven Trenholme's course entitled "Importing Wine for Pleasure & Profit.  Steven is a 30 year veteran of the Canadian beverage alcohol industry.  Refer to his website for further details and the date of the next seminar.

TV & Radio

The Thirsty Traveler is a travel series with a twist!  Kevin Brauch, the host, chronicles a weekly journey into the heart of the world's greatest wine, beer and spirit producing regions including rich stories, colourful characters and a culinary epiphany or two.  It explores the intimate relationship between local people and their favorite alcoholic libations and revels in marvelous foods, stunning landscapes, unforgettable people and fine traditions steeped in customs dating back thousands of years.   You can find the show on Food Network Canada and on Fine Living Network

GrapeRadio is a radio show discussing wine related topics that is broadcast over the Internet and retrievable as a podcast.  One or two shows are produced on a weekly basis. The shows consist of the three hosts sharing their opinions and experiences with the audience. Show topics review issues such as the enjoyment of wine, wine news and industry trends. The hallmark of the show will be guest interviews with winemakers, vineyards owners, wine retail / wholesale leaders, restaurateurs and sommeliers. 

Tony Aspler talks about wine on 680 NEWS radio on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The Oakville based wine ladies, Georgia and Susanne, have various radio and web TV offerings.  See website for details.

 Sommelier Courses

The Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) is a national non-profit organization with chapters in a number of provinces across Canada.  The CAPS Ontario chapter is based in Toronto.  Its goal is to strengthen working relationships between members, wine professionals, consumers and the hospitality industry.  It offers a Toronto course at George Brown College  The sommelier certificate is recognized in all 44 countries with which CAPS is affiliated.

The International Sommelier Guild provided a accreditation program for would-be sommeliers across North America.  The Toronto course takes place in November 2011 at Liaison College Culinary Arts - Downtown Campus.

On-Line Education

There are four interrelated UK sites coordinated by Vine UK which between them contain a monstrous amount of information:

History of Wine has sections on historic impact, science and wine, the wine timeline and geography.

Tasting Wine has sections on wine and taste, tasting techniques, serving techniques, and the science of wine.

Vine UK has sections on types of wine, wine and food, winemaking and storage.

Wine Regions of the World has sections on individual wine regions, wine and climate, sample vineyard tours, and vineyard seasons.

As alternatives to the above, Professional Friends of Wine and Lisa Shea's Wine Intro both include a free online wine education course.

Finally, if you are a port lover, The Port Wine Institute is a useful reference source, and their Port Wine site is worth a visit too.

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