Any recommended online wine tasting courses

I mentioned this in a earlier post, but thought I would post as its own topic. Has anyone tried any of the online wine tasting courses? I'm wanting to build a better appreciation for wine tasting and don't have access to any sort of university course or anything like that. I understand the limitations, but thought taking an online course might be worthwhile and fun.

I'm a little bass ackwards as in that I've been making wine for several years, but have never developed an appreciation or even the basic ability to identify specific grapes by taste/aroma. I started making wine because I thought it would be a fun hobby; and I enjoy drinking it. It's kind of like being a painter or sculptor, but never learning anything about or acquiring an appreciation for art, or maybe being a musician who plays by ear, who has never learned to read music nor has any knowledge of music theory. I'm wanting to go back to school so to speak, and learn what I've missed/neglected.

Do you have any specific on line tasting course in mind? I've alway got more value out of wine tasting with other people - even now, after wine tasting for years. Power of suggestion and all that stuff.
After a while you will very quickly learn to recongise the 'obvious' grape varieties. Those that are over endowed with oak, alcohol and grape ripeness can be a little harder.
If you don't have access to a course, then can you get together with three, four or five other peole and start your own journey of exploration.
There are plenty of good books - my personal favourite was Jancis Robinson's practical wine tasting course called 'Masterglass'.

I don't know of any online courses, but there are excellent books, and the few dollars you spend on a book is going to be insignificant compared to wine costs - winetasting can only be learned through doing. I would strongly recomend Michael Schuster's "Essential Winetasting". Just bear in mind you will need to add some years to the vintage suggestions to make up for the fact that it was written some years ago. You really do need to get a few people together. Apart from the social aspect, you need to compare wines side by side, so you will waste a lot if there is only one of you. I learned by going through Schuster's exercises in a group of 6.

I figured an online course would be a better way to get started than just reading. Updating a website is much easier than writing and publishing a new book, so the information should be more current. Including pictures, video, and possibly some interactive stuff also makes it less drab. However, an online course is not likely to go into the depth a good book will go into so I plan to get some books and read along the way. I will check out your suggestions.

The two online courses I found were:

1) Wine Spectator School's, Understanding Wine, which consists of 10 classes and 10 tastings of 2 wines per tasting. The cost of $149 seems a little steep, not knowing exactly what I would get out of the course.

2) Andrea Robinson's, Tasting Lessons Videos. You pay a $30 annual fee to be a member and have access to those videos and others, as well as other things. Someone in another thread recommended an Andrea Robinson book to me, which increases my confidence in this.

I have some friends who have agreed to participate with me. The problem is getting everybody together to do all of the tastings. There is a good chance our schedules will only line-up so that we meet 2 or 3 times over the next couple of months and then it will fall apart. Because the Wine Spectator School course is broken down into two wines per tasting, I could do it by myself if need be. However, figuring an average of $20/wine and then $149 for the course, that's a commitment of around $550. Obviously, adding more folks to split the cost of the wine makes any course much more reasonable plus adds the benefit of learning more, gleaning from others their thoughts about the various wines. I also looked into joining an online tasting group instead of doing a course and supplementing with some reading along the way, but couldn't find one that appeared to be very active. This site's WTN's are great for specific wines, but that's a little advanced for me since I still lack a basic foundation.

Hi Jack and welcome. I've been a home wine maker for over 30 years, and like you, thought it would be a fun hobby. However, I was drinking and appreciating wine for a few years before I started making wine. One of my goals was to make wine that would be as good as wine I can buy, and I believe I've achieved that a few times. While I drink mostly my own wine, I do drink a lot of "store-bought" to keep myself honest and broaden my horizons. One suggestion I have for you is to keep a notebook for recording the wines you taste. Evaluate the wines you try, and not just for variety, color, aroma, taste and finish, but ask yourself "How did the winemaker accomplish this?". Many years ago (before the internet) I took a correspondence course on German wines and found it very informative. I'm not sure where you are located, but the American Wine Society (AWS) has local chapters, many of which host monthly tastings, usually focused on a specific type of wine.

I agree with a lot of what you say, Jack, about online material. Maybe the reason there are not so many of them is that it is difficult to make money that way, and there is perhaps more prestige in publishing a book.

They are not structured as a course, but you might be interested in taking a look at videos produced by Jane Nickles. I used to have a page that referenced a whole pile of them, and checked out a lot of them. They are no longer on that page, but if you google, or search youtube, you will find them. Generally speaking[1] I thought they were very good - maybe not exactly inspiring, but solid as far as the information content goes.

Real-life taught courses are as good as your teacher. I know many people who got a lot out of them, but I had a very bad experience and quit after a couple of lessons. I'd recommend getting personal recommendations if you go that route.

[1] Sometimes, she does seem to have some strange ideas, and I have just posted separately on one of these - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27110

Thanks for the advice, all.

I went to the AWS website and couldn't find anywhere that gave information on local chapters. It appears you might have to be a paying member to get that kind of information. Also, my mobility is limited as I have an adult form of Muscular Dystrophy. I walk, but use a scooter or wheelchair when traveling long distances or over uneven ground. If I found some sort of local group, it would have to meet in a place easy to get to and in and out of for me to participate. That's one of the reasons an online course of some sort makes sense for me.

I found some Jane Nickels videos on Youtube. I've watched a couple and bookmarked the link. I'll watch all I can find. I found Mark Phillips' video wine blog a couple of weeks ago and have been watching those. I enjoy his videos, but many are not really "educational". I felt his tasting videos were excellent in regards to the process of tasting wines, but barely scratched the surface in regards to the tasting/aroma of specific grapes, vintages, etc.