The official name of the program is the Accelerated Core Wine Course. It includes two sections: Foundation and Intermediate. The entire program typically takes two semesters to complete. However, this summer, students can enter an immersive week-long sommelier certification program and attain the same results.
Classes are held in the evening, from August 16th to 21st. There is a short dinner break between sessions. In the first section, students learn how to taste wines with the skills of an advanced sommelier, able to describe flavors and delve into the nuances of taste.
Students embrace the entire world of wine in the later section: all the major grapes and all the major wine regions across the globe. Upon successful completion, graduates will earn their Level Three sommelier pins.
This Six-Day Sommelier Crash Course is held at the school’s main building at 109 s 22nd Street in the Center City neighborhood of Rittenhouse. Well-known as Philadelphia's poshest neighborhood, Rittenhouse is the city’s mecca of fine dining, wine, and cultural destinations. The school is easy to access, just minutes from either the highway or Amtrak’s 30th Street Station.
Since its founding in 2001, WsoP has earned a reputation for offering a world-class wine education. The online magazine SOMM ranks WSoP as one of its top five wine schools in America. In addition, the school has been featured in publications ranging from Wine Spectator to the Wall Street Journal. Their graduates include a wide and diverse group of wine professionals, including hundreds of winemakers, restaurateurs, and sommeliers.
The Accelerated Core Wine Course is part of the school’s annual “Summer Wine School” program happening throughout August. Offerings include a week-long program for people seeking to become wine instructors, which is part of the school’s Advanced Sommelier curriculum. Also on tap is “Friday Night Wine School,” a fun evening of wine and conversation with winemakers and sommeliers.
