You’ve been enjoying wine for a few years but want to know more. There’s just one problem. You don’t have much time to learn about wine. Gary Vaynerchuk’s wine course on Skillshare is less than 60 minutes long. It is the perfect course for somebody looking to learn about wine in a limited time.
What Does The Wine Cover?
You might be wondering, “can a video course less than an hour-long teach me much?” The answer is yes!
At first, I was skeptical about the short duration of the course because I have taken longer courses. After going through the course this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised!
In this 55 minute online course, you will learn wine fundamentals and enjoy tasting three kinds of wine. The specific wines tasted include sparkling wines (i.e., an Italian Prosecco), white wine (i.e., a French Sancerre), and red wine (i.e., a Cabernet Sauvignon from South America but no Moscato red wine).
Who Teaches The Course?
Wine entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk teaches this course. I have been a fan of Vaynerchuk’s books and YouTube videos (especially “Overnight Success”) for years. Vaynerchuk started his career working in a wine store in New Jersey – Wine Library. In the mid-2000s, he created one of the most successful YouTube wine channels with 1,000 wine videos. Vaynerchuk’s passion for sharing the world of wine is crystal clear.
Vaynerchuk is different from many in the wine world for a few reasons. First, he is known for his colorful descriptions of wine. Second, Vaynerchuk is friendly to the wine beginner because he focuses on affordable wines and only uses the minimum amount of wine terms. Third, Vaynerchuk has a highly engaging way of presenting his ideas.
“Getting Started with Wine: Buy Smarter, Taste More”: Lesson Overview
You might be wondering what exactly you will learn in the course. The course takes an applied focus to wine appreciation. Instead of descriptions of winemaking, wine history, or wine theory, you will get a tight focus on practical tips to enjoy wine more deeply.
The course is organized into ten lessons:
- Introduction. (Lesson time: 2:03)
- Assignment (Lesson time: 1:41). The assignment section explains the course project: opening a bottle of wine and writing up tasting notes.
- Wine Primer (Lesson time: 9:24)
- Tasting Notes and FAQs (Lesson time: 7:32)
- Sparkling Wine (Lesson time: 7:19)
- White Wine (Lesson time: 8:59)
- Red Wine (Lesson time: 9:25)
- Shopping (Lesson time: 6:04). The course is filmed at a wine store, so this section was beneficial as the instructor demonstrates how to read wine labels and much more.
- Closing (Lesson time: 2:05)
- Hungry for More? (Lesson time: 0:25)
What I Loved About The “Getting Started With Wine” Skillshare Course
There is a lot to love in the Getting Started with Wine Skillshare course, especially if you are a wine beginner looking for a snobbery-free introduction.
- Wine Shopping Tips. The 8th lesson of the course on wine shopping was a highlight. For example, bring in a photo of a wine you liked and ask the wine shop seller to recommend a wine. The course also covers how to buy wine for the holidays and buy wine gifts.
- Accessible To Beginners. Without a doubt, this course is focused on helping wine beginners start their wine journey. By focusing on tasting three wines only, you get a straightforward overview of the wine tasting process.
- Affordable Wine Recommendations. Are you worried that you will be asked to buy $100 bottles of wine? Don’t worry. The three wines recommended in the course are all under $30. To spread out the cost, you could easily invite a few friends over for a wine tasting at home.
- Course Projects. It might sound a bit nerdy, but I love it when courses include projects and tests because it helps me to deepen my understanding. There are no tests, quizzes, or exams in this Skillshare course. Instead, you have a project – writing and sharing tasting notes on the wines you taste. Vaynerchuk suggests that you can complete your wine tasting notes in 10-20 minutes. In my experience
- High Production Quality. The course video and audio quality are excellent. There were no issues of any kind in the video quality, which means it is easier to focus closely on the course content.
- Community. At the time of this review, more than 8000 students had taken this course. There are active discussions with students.
Where The Course Could Be Better
I am a fan of this course and recommend it to beginners. That said, there are a few disadvantages that should be noted for balance.
- Limited Instructor Engagement. I didn’t see any evidence of the instructor responding to questions or participating in the discussions. Given that Vaynerchuk runs multiple companies, this didn’t surprise me. If you are looking for a wine course that provides one-on-one answers to questions, this is not the course for you.
- Focused on the United States. When the instructor cites wine prices and examples, most of the examples are American. If you are American, this is an advantage! If you are outside of the USA, some of the specific suggestions may be less meaningful. That said, I still found the course exciting and valuable even though I was outside the US.
- Limited Resources and Further Reading. The course does not have a resources section or further reading suggestions per se. Instead, the instructor refers to Jancis Robinson (who provides wine advice to Queen Elizabeth II), Wine Spectator, and a few other leading authorities. I would have preferred to have a 1-2 PDF resource that provided links and specific suggestions.
Should You Take The “Getting Started with Wine” Skillshare Course?
If you are a wine beginner looking to improve your wine tasting skills, this course is a great choice. You will learn the wine tasting process with three wines (a sparkling wine, a bottle of white wine, and a bottle of red wine). You will also learn several ways to shop for wine (including a fantastic way to buy wine as a gift).
Click here to sign up for a free Skillshare membership so you can take the “Getting Started with Wine” course. When you sign up for Skillshare, you get access to thousands of short video courses covering cooking, business skills, and creative pursuits. Think of it as the “Netflix of continuing education.” If you sign up for the course through the links provided in this review, I will receive a small commission from Skillshare.
