If you're looking to build your wine knowledge but aren't sure what you'll learn from a wine appreciation course – we're here to help.
The world of wine is vast, there's a lot to learn, and at times it can be intimidating or overwhelming.
Halliday Wine Academy's Introduction to Wine course will teach you the fundamentals of wine and empower you with knowledge of the Australian wine landscape.
Halliday Tasting Team member Ned Goodwin MW and Halliday alumni Erin Larkin will guide you through eight modules.
The course will give you the confidence to understand and describe wine, and help you navigate your local bottleshop and restaurant wine lists.
Introduction to Wine is split into eight modules:
Grapes and vineyards
The first module will explore how vineyards, soil types and location influence the flavour of grapes and the resulting wine. You'll learn terms like 'terroir' and 'vintage'.
How to taste wine
Before you can evaluate a wine, you need to understand its structure. In module two we look at acid, sugar, tannin and alcohol. You'll use a flavour wheel, and learn to asses a wine based on appearance, aroma, taste and flavour.
White wine
This module is your introduction to making white wine. We'll look at the key white varieties in Australia. We'll also look at how yeast, malolactic fermentation, time on lees, skins, and old and new oak influence a wine, and we'll consider how these elements contribute to the weight, style and flavour of a wine.
Amber and rosé wine
Amber (or orange) and rosé wines have found extreme success in recent years – but how are they made? This section will dive into the anatomy of a grape and how it contributes to a wine's style, colour, texture and flavour. We'll also explain what natural wine is.
Red wine
The introduction to making red wine will cover extraction, maceration, pressing and how these techniques translate to the final product. We'll look at the influence of whole bunches, stalks, oak and teach you how to determine weight, style and flavour. This module will cover major grapes, blends and lesser known varieties.
Sparkling wine
This module will discuss key sparkling styles from around the world and cover what Australia does best. We'll compare méthode traditionnelle to tank method, you'll learn about dosage, time on lees and NV versus vintage. Along with key sparkling regions, this module will cover sparkling rosé, sparkling reds, Champagne, prosecco and pet-nats.
Food and wine
Food is central to how wine is enjoyed. In the sixth module, we'll cover aspects of food and wine pairing such as matching weight and balancing elements like sugar and acid. You'll learn about bridging ingredients, what makes food and wine pairing challenging, classic food matches like cheese and wine and cooking with wine.
Wine enjoyment and more
As you come to the end of your Introduction to Wine course, the final module will cover topics like cellaring, decanting and serving wine, glassware, winemaking additives, Australian labelling laws, labelling conventions, and faults and flaws.Across eight modules, Halliday Wine Academy's Introduction to Wine course offers a detailed look at the Australian wine landscape. Learn about wine varietals, Australian wine regions, how wine is made, how to taste and describe wine, how to approach food and wine matches, along with handy tips that address common wine questions.
Learn more about our wine appreciation courses today!
