​"Amo sobre una mesa/cuando se habla/la luz de una botella/de inteligente vino" escribió Pablo Neruda.

​Aprender sobre el vino implica un proceso interminable: siempre hay más que aprender sobre diferentes regiones, estilos de vino y variedades de uva. Tanto los amantes del vino como los profesionales del vino deben continuar por el camino del aprendizaje.

Sin embargo, los estudios de vino pueden costar bastante. Los cursos de certificación de sommelier o negocios de vinos pueden costar miles y decenas de miles de dólares. A menudo, también, tomar un curso presencial para mantenerse al día y ampliar su conocimiento del vino es imposible dadas las apretadas agendas de las personas.

Afortunadamente, el número de cursos de vino en línea gratuitos ha crecido en los últimos años. Muchas agencias regionales o nacionales de promoción del vino o consejos reguladores europeos han desarrollado programas en profundidad. La gran mayoría ofrece clases en línea asincrónicas, lo que significa que puede estudiar a su propio ritmo, en su propio horario. También hay algunos cursos de vino en línea relativamente baratos en español de  educadores de vino o escuelas privadas de vino.

Otros cursos están disponibles para aquellos en el comercio del vino de forma gratuita después de pasar por un proceso de solicitud; de lo contrario, tienen tarifas. Así ocurre, por ejemplo, con el programa Spanish Wine Specialist de la agencia comercial española ICEX, o las nuevas certificaciones de vino del California Wine Institute, que pronto estarán disponibles en español.

¿Cuáles son los cursos gratuitos y económicos disponibles en línea?

Aquí, presento programas gratuitos de estudios de vino en línea , así como algunos que cuestan $ 200 dólares estadounidenses o menos. Los criterios de inclusión incluyen el uso de una plataforma formal de aprendizaje en línea (es decir, no solo una serie de videos de YouTube), la necesidad de registro, algún tipo de estructura para revisar o probar el material estudiado y la posibilidad de recibir un certificado o prueba de finalización del curso. 

He clasificado los programas en clases generales e introductorias , así como clases regionales y nacionales.

La Academia Mario Braga
El argentino Mario Braga es unexperimentado sommelier que recientemente fue nombrado por The International Wine And Spirit Competition (IWSC) entre los comunicadores de vino más influyentes del mundo.  Ha viajado alrededor de 65 países. Él dice, he "desarrollando una mirada global de la industria vitivinícola que hoy comparto orgulloso con la comunidad de bebedores seriales más grande de habla hispana. "
Sitio web: https://marianobraga.com/academia/

La Academia ofrece siete cursos en línea que cuestan entre $ 55 y $ 250.
•    Taller virtual de cata de vinos
•    Curso online de formación profesional para dueños de vinotecas
•    Aprender a comprar vino
•    Vinos Argentinos
•    ABC del maridaje
•    Sin contracturas: programa más completo para quienes se están iniciando en el mundo del vino
•    InstaWine: dominar de una vez por todas la red social que digita la comunicación del vino
Estos son completamente en línea, asíncronos, con un certificado emitido al completarse con éxito.

Academia del Vino de Rioja
¡Gana el Diploma del Vino de Rioja!  El consejo regulador de Rioja ha elaborado un curso exigente para introducir y adquirir experiencia en toda la gama de vinos de Rioja. Aquítambién hay opciones para especializarse en los campos de Comercio y Distribución o Turismo.  Hay otro curso llamado Rioja 4 estaciones a disposición de los antiguos alumnos del curso de Diploma. 
Sitio web: https://riojawineacademy.com/es/home

Society of Wine Educators
La Sociedad bien considerada y establecida desde hace mucho tiempo ahora ofrece su calificación HBSC en español: Certificado de Especialista en Bebidas. Este es un curso introductorio sobre el vino, pero también incluye otras bebidas como sake e incluso café. La clase está diseñada para estudiantes y profesionales en el campo de la hospitalidad y la gastronomía, así como para aquellos quienes planean obtener niveles más altos de certificación en vinos, cervezas o licores. El HBSC provee una amplia base de conocimiento de producto en las bebidas comerciales más relevantes.  El costo es de $99.
Sitio web: https://societyofwineeducators.org/education-certifications/certificado-de-especialista-en-bebidas/

Cava Academy
La Cava Academy es una iniciativa del consejo regulador de la DO Cava. Ofrece un programa de estudio en línea de Formador en Cava, así como una certificación Cava Expert que implica escribir una tesis de investigación sobre un tema específico. La tesis es revisada por un comité de expertos. También hay algunas oportunidades de capacitación en persona. Los estudiantes deben solicitar la admisión al curso de Formador de Cava. 
Sitio web: https://cavaacademy.com/es/presentation/

Gobierno de Aragón
Realiza múltiples cursos para obtener el Diploma de Experto en Vinos de Aragón por el Gobierno de Aragón. Estediploma consiste en múltiples clases en cada región vinícola que se encuentra en Aragón; es especialmente bueno para los amantes de la garnacha, ¡pero también incluye el Cava, vino espumoso! 
Sitio web: https://www.aragonwineexpert.com/pagina-ejemplo/diploma-experto-en-vinos-de-aragon/

Comité Interprofesional del Vino de Champagne
- La clase MOOC del Comité de Champagne investiga todos los aspectos del Champagne, desde los requisitos legales hasta los métodos de producción, con actualizaciones periódicas incluso después de terminar el curso; Hay un cargo si desea un certificado.  El MOOC del Champagne se compone de muchos vídeos y está disponible en francés e inglés, con subtítulos en otros 7 idiomas.
Sitio web: https://www.champagne.fr/es/la-revista-champagne/mooc-del-champagne-conviertase-en-un-experto-del-champagne

Aula de Jerez
•    Curso Básico de la DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry y Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda de la Academy de Jerez – Aula de Jerez: Este curso proporciona una introducción a los estilos de Jerez, la historia, la producción y las leyes reguladoras actuales.
•    Curso Avanzado de la DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry y Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda de la Academy de Jerez – Aula de Jerez: Después del Curso Básico, aprenderás más sobre los detalles de la producción de Jerez y el terruño, incluyendo aprender a distinguir Finos de Cream Sherries, y Amontillados de Olorosos.
•    Curso de Enoturismo del Marco de Jerez: Curso destinado a profesionales y futuros profesionales del turismo que quieran orientar o ampliar sus conocimientos hacia el terreno del turismo del vino en general y, más concretamente, adquirir una formación que les permita conocer y explotar los recursos enoturísticos del Marco de Jerez.
Sitio web: https://www.sherryacademy.org/es/home

Formate Sommeliers
Afiliado a la conocida Escuela Argentina de Sommeliers, Formate ofrece varios programas asincrónicos en línea en español, con dos clases para personas que aspiran a ser sumilleres, incluido el Programa Integral en Sommellerie, que dura hasta 180 días e incluye dos clases de degustación guiadas a través de Zoom.  Cuesta $ 720, pero se puede comprar en etapas a partir de $ 290.  Otros cursos cortos a partir de $ 35 incluyen:
•    Argentina, país productor
•    Introducción al Vino y a la Degustación
•    Vino del Viejo Mundo I: Francia
•    Vino del Viejo Mundo II: España, Portugal, Italia, Alemania y Austria
•    Vino del Nuevo Mundo 
•    Vinos Dulces y Cervezas
Sitio web: https://formatesommeliers.com

Próximas programas de educación sobre el vino 
Los nuevos programas de educación sobre el vino en español están en constante evolución. Aquí hay dos que vale la pena vigilar:
•    Capstone del California Wine Institute: Obtenga experiencia en vinos de California con estos múltiples niveles de certificación. Una versión en español parece estar en proceso. Sitio web: https://www.capstonemexico.com
•    Second Winery: Esta nueva empresa ofrecerá una certificación de vino a través de experiencias inmersivas en 3D de bodegas y viñedos de todo el mundo. El camino de aprendizaje implica completar diferentes tareas vitivinícolas, y aquellos con una configuración de realidad virtual pueden participar. Actualmente en inglés, Second Winery tendrá una versión en español, que incluye inteligencia artificial interactiva.  Sitio web: https://www.secondwinery.com

Para obtener una guía completa de los programas de educación sobre el vino en todo el mundo, lea mi libro Leary's Global Wineology.

​Charlie Leary, PhD, has provided his top picks in wine education in his new book Leary’s Global Wineology: A Guide to Wine Education, Mentorships, and Scholarships (Hibiscus Panama SA). The book provides a reference to dozens of wine studies and mentorships programs as well as scholarships in 19 different countries. Consisting of nine chapters, the book is the only comprehensive guide to wine studies options worldwide, which include numerous online options. The number of scholarships for wine studies has increased in recent years. 

Leary was interviewed about the book for The Wine Conversation podcast late last year. 

The categories Leary chose for this inaugural edition include: The Best Wine Education Buys of 2023; The Three Most Vibrant Scholarship Programs; The Top Three Most Recognized and Valuable Wine Trade Qualifications; The Top Three Most Recognized and Valuable Sommelier Qualifications; The Top Three Schools or Programs for a General Wine Education from the Beginning; and The Top Three Innovative Interdisciplinary Wine Studies Offerings at Any Level. Leary also notes certain notable developments in wineology. 

Here are the selected programs:

The Best Wine Education Buys of 2023
o George Brown College Wine Specialist Program: with many online options, qualified instructors, and each course costing about CAD $180–300. Nine courses are required to graduate.
o Certified Wine Specialist, Society of Wine Educators (with member discount): an affordable, recognized wine qualification supported by free online classes for members. 
o Argentina Wine Specialist, Napa Valley Wine Academy: an affordable wine certification through online classes and exams focused on a wine producing nation of increasing quality and importance. 

The Three Most Vibrant Scholarship Programs
o Vinequity
o Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation
o Roots College Fund

The Top Three Most Recognized & Valuable Wine Trade Qualifications
o Master of Wine from the Institute of Masters of Wine
o Diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust
o Certified Wine Educator from Society of Wine Educators

The Top Three Most Recognized & Valuable Sommelier Qualifications
o Master Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS)
o Diploma from the Association de la sommellerie internationale (ASI)
o Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, London or Paris

The Top Three Schools or Programs for a General Wine Education from the Beginning 
o WSET Levels 1-3: Although the WSET curriculum could use reform and instruction quality varies among its 800+ approved program providers, it provides a ladder for rapidly progressing from no general wine knowledge to an advanced level.
o San Francisco Wine School: Starting with its Intro to Wine Series, the School offers numerous options for both aspiring professionals and enthusiasts to advance their wine knowledge, including proprietary courses; prep for SWE, WSET, and CMS qualifications; online options; various proprietary certifications; and intensives. 
o Napa Valley Wine Academy: With its proprietary Wine 101 Foundations and Wine 201 Wines of the World courses, the NVWA seeks to “demystify” wine for beginners and then offers all WSET levels in addition to specialized courses in a variety of important wine regions. There are 35 course options. 

The Top Three Innovative Interdisciplinary Wine Studies Offerings at Any Level
o Hochschule Geisenheim University: provides a diverse curriculum, expertise across all aspects of the wine world, important collaborative options, and inter-disciplinary learning programs leading to both undergraduate and advanced degrees. 
o Linfield University: a small university close to Oregon wine country offering an interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizing theory and practice, including BA or BS degree options, plus advanced study programs in wine business, including a 5-year undergraduate/master’s program in conjunction with one of France’s top wine universities. 
o HEC: Paris-based, advanced international business program touching on all aspects of the wine trade spectrum alongside world-class instruction. 

Notable Recent Developments in Wineology
o The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas’ reforms and changes, including an online course as well as alterations to the exam structure for their qualifications and the regulations governing courses and exams, including an aim of increasing “inclusion of underrepresented communities”
o The University of Strasbourg’s new program on geo-sensorial tasting leading to a university diploma combined with Wine Scholar Guild’s WSG Tasting Lab™, which also uses geo-sensorial principles
o Washington State University’s new wine tasting room certificate
o Brock University’s new Foundations of Winemaking course, with both in-person and online options
o Cordon Bleu London’s new online certificate course in wine tasting

Some of Leary’s picks may be expected by those knowledgeable about the world of wine, but others may surprise readers. The books includes numerous little-known programs, such as the University of Strasbourg’s new diploma program on geo-sensorial wine tasting. 

The books is available as a paperback on Amazon and as an eBook through Kobo, Amazon, Apple Books, and Google Books. 

Charlie Leary has worked as a sommelier and wine director since 1995. He earned a doctorate in history at Cornell University and taught briefly at Tulane before entering the hospitality business. He holds numerous wine qualifications. In 2004, Random House published his cookbook on Creole cuisine.

Leary's Global Wineology will be available as an eBook on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play over the next few days. It provides a directory of wine education programs, degrees, and qualifications worldwide. It consists of nine chapter plus and introduction as well as interviews with recent WSET and Fresno State student Ryan Storm and the founder of San Francisco Wine School, David Glancy, MS, CWE.

Chapter One traces the history of wine studies as a wine trade motivated endeavor, comparing this with accredited, but more focused university programs. The final chapter discusses suggested reform of wine studies curricula addressing issues of the environment, power, access, and equity. 

The following is from the Introduction:

Wine consumption, availability, and variety has surged worldwide in the 21st century, accompanied by a vast increase in the number of schools, organizations, colleges, individuals, and universities offering wine courses, both presential and online, with the latter both synchronous (live via Zoom, online education platforms, or other means) and asynchronous (self-paced, with no live instructor). Those who want to increase their understanding and appreciation of wine for personal edification or social know-how, and those who are pursuing or desire to pursue a professional career in the wine industry now confront a plethora of programs with a confusing array of titles, degrees, certificates, and specializations.

Some wine education is free and short, while other programs can cost dearly in time and money. Some courses of study take a few hours and others a few years. Institutions offering wine education vary from state colleges and universities to non-profit organizations and many profit-seeking companies. Sommeliers require training that may be mostly useless to vintners. Someone who wants to deftly handle ordering wine in a restaurant probably doesn’t want to learn about wine chemistry or Integrated Pest Management. Which program is right for you? What’s the difference between an MS and an MW or an MS in viticulture? Is the education for a CWE the same as that for a WSET Diploma? Are some schools better for learning about wine journalism than the wine business? This book will help answer such questions. 

This Guide’s Scope
This is the first annual edition of what I hope will be many of this Guide. It is certainly incomplete; however, I address a lacuna in wine studies as previously, to the best of my knowledge, no such guide existed. I encourage readers to contact me with suggested additions not only in terms of the listings of study, scholarship, and mentorship programs, but also regarding missing elements or facts about curriculums, certifications, and program highlights or inadequacies. 

I have relied on my personal knowledge of the wine industry and extensive research. 
. . .

I have included chapters on issues in wine studies that I view as important, however I refrain from inserting much criticism (or hyperbole) into the program descriptions themselves in Chapters Two through Eight. I am personally familiar with some of the programs and schools described here, but not all. This book should serve, first, as a guide to the diversity of wine studies programs available to prospective students while, second, also casting a critical eye on the field. It will also be of use to employers who require background on candidates’ wine studies and those with an amateur interest in furthering their wine knowledge. I hope to produce a much-enhanced edition for 2024.

What is “Wine Studies”?
“Wine studies,” here, refers primarily to programs of study aimed at enhancing a student’s knowledge of wine, the alcoholic beverage made from fermenting grape juice (must) of the plant Vitis vinifera or its hybrids. A friend suggested I call it “wineology” and use this in the title. Wiktionary defines wineology as “the study of wine”; that fits. Wine knowledge encompasses the wine trade, education, wine business management, and communication, which overlap with the fields of viticulture, enology, economics, botany, biology, business studies, chemistry, history, literature, marketing, sales, ecology, journalism, and environmental studies, among others. Statista reports global wine market revenue equals $340.8 billion USD in 2022. It is a massive, global, and hugely influential industry.  

There are excellent winemakers who are not wine studies experts and vice versa. There are Masters of Wine who couldn’t manage a vineyard, and there are superb viticulturalists who might not pass the Level 2 exam in wine from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, at least not without studying. A “wine expert” is someone who knows the “world of wine” in detail, including, prominently, the final product in terms of taste, color, aroma, age, vinification and viticultural methods, grape varieties, legal requirements, geography, appellations, distribution, logistics, packaging, price, and climate, including vintage characteristics. This includes sommeliers, wine buyers, coopers, journalists, teachers, book authors, salespeople, tasting room managers, and marketing specialists. 

This is a rare world in that often “wine studies” is not a field of study offered by formal, accredited degree-granting institutions. The only institution I found that intentionally uses the phrase “wine studies” for its programs is Linfield University in my home state of Oregon, referring to the necessity for an “interdisciplinary approach” that involves exploring “the cultural, social and economic significance of wine.” From an academic perspective, the 2016 book Contemporary Wine Studies defines wine studies as “looking at the place of wine in society as a whole.” 

It is a multi-faceted endeavor. 

Traditional enology and viticulture programs form part of the formal academy, yes, but the point is that someone with a university degree in these fields may or may not be a wine expert, particularly at the same level as, for instance, the MW qualification granted by the Institute of Masters of Wine or MS granted by the Court of Master Sommeliers, which have no official accreditations as educational institutions. That said, such certifications have become very important to job seekers. 

This book covers the gamut of wine world educational programs and qualifications, from viticulture degrees to sommelier certifications and Wine MBAs. The goal is to be inclusive--covering education related to wine, winemaking, wine trade and commerce, and grape growing—and independent, with no programs paying to be included (or not included). I cannot claim this guide is comprehensive in terms of mentioning nearly all wine studies programs worldwide, although that is the eventual goal. Again, I urge readers to contact me so that any classes or programs not included will be in future editions.