ClassesWine
11 items in your cart
Nevada City Varietal Classes - Single Session - Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot -05-14-10 x 1
Euro 1 - Menlo Park - Winter 2010 x 1
Nevada City Varietal Classes, 2009 - 2010 x 1
Nevada City Varietal Classes - Single Session - Chardonnay -04-09-10 x 1
The Art & Science of Fine Wine - Piedmont - Oct, 2010 x 1
$200 Gift Certificate
Euro II - San Francisco - Nov 2010 x 1
The Art & Science of Fine Wine - San Francisco - April, 2010 x 1
Europe vs. New World Weekender - October 29, 30 & 31, 2010 x 1
$500 Gift Certificate
$100 Gift Certificate
$2,740.00
Ready to checkout?
Email Subscribe

Join Our Mailing List & Download the Exclusive Wine List Now.

click here to share this info on your favorite sites like facebook or by email

Wine Info

“A great wine education class. I was amazed by the instructor's wealth of knowledge, the great wines to taste and talk about, and the small, intimate class size. A fun way to learn a lot about wine.”

—Will, Ritchie Creek Vineyards

Classes

“I have taken both courses. The instructors tell it how it is, simply and eloquently without intimidation. This instills the confidence to explore wines on our own, as well as encouraging us to develop and express our own opinions and preferences. I really enjoy the personal stories about the different wineries and wine makers around the world. I was always entertained while learning at the same time.”

— Liz, Director of Trade & PR, Southcorp Wines

Email this page

The Bruce Cass Wine Lab offers fun, information packed, entertaining wine education in evening classes and Weekenders throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and in Nevada City (cultural centerpiece of the Sierra Foothills).

Most classes are three, 2 ¼ - hour sessions. Experience 12 - 16 fantastic wines in each session, accompanied by lecture, slides, handouts, discussion, plus an assortment of bread & cheeses!

WHICH CLASS?

We offer two overview-style, general courses:

Both Fundamentals and Art – Science are offered as either Weekender or regular 3-weekday nights (say three Wednesdays in a row) format.

We also offer four Regional survey courses which focus on the districts that produce the best wines:

Both CA&PNW and Southern Hemisphere are offered as either Weekender or regular format classes. The Europe I & II classes are only offered in the regular format. Instead, in the Weekender format, we feature a concentrated, highlights course called Europe vs. New World.

The single-session Varietal Series classes are only offered in Nevada City on Friday evenings.

Many of our classes sell out, so register early for best availability.

Fundamentals of Taste & Smell

Our most popular class!

~ $229 per person; $429 per couple.
~ weekly on weeknights at 7:00 pm

‘Fundamentals’ is a perfect introduction to the basics. A 3-session course designed to create a strong foundation for wine appreciation while developing your confidence about wine.

Learn More »
View Calendar »

The Art & Science of Fine Wine

~ $249 per person; $469 per couple.
~ weekly on weeknights at 7:00 pm

Our 3-session course designed to help wine enthusiasts understand how climate, topography, and winemaker decisions alter the taste characteristics of important grape varieties all over the world. Certain factors about wine – such as how ripe the grapes get, or whether the vines are stressed for water, or whether the wines are aged in oak barriques – are similar in Burgundy, in Australia, in California, or in Chile. Once you understand some thirty concepts, you can apply them to master the differences between most of the world’s most famous growing districts, and the most prominent wines produced in each. After this class, you'll buy wine more confidently, serve it with greater enjoyment, and take much more satisfaction in your own wine tasting.
Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

California & Pacific Northwest Wines

~ $259 per person; $489 per couple.
~ weekly on weeknights at 7:00 pm

This 3-session class is a sophisticated introduction to the wide range of prices, regions, grape varieties, and lifestyles found in the best wine producing districts of America’s Left Coast. We taste everything from economical Zinfandels and Sauvignon Blancs to aged Sangiovese and cult Cabernets costing well into three figures. When they can be found in retail stores, the wines alone for this class cost over $150 per person. Lectures, slides and handouts in each session explain how British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley [the northernmost premium wine region in the world] is different from Oregon’s Willamette Valley [home to world-class Pinot Noirs]. Similarly how Napa Valley is fundamentally different from California’s Central Coast or Sierra Foothills. Bruce will share highlights of history, personal vignettes about local lifestyles, and opinions on emerging regional cuisines. Discover dining and accommodation destinations, as well as the best wineries and attractions to enhance any wine tasting excursion along the Pacific Coast.
Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

California & Pacific Northwest Wines Weekender
March 19th, 20th & 21st, 2010

Special 3 Sessions Weekend Class

Fort Mason, San Francisco
~ $259 per person; $469 per couple.
~ Fri 7:00 pm to 9:15; Sat class 5:00 pm to 7:15; Sun 11:30 am to 2:00 pm

A 'Weekender' installment of our 3-session class--a sophisticated introduction to the wide range of prices, regions, grape varieties, and lifestyles found in the best wine producing districts of America’s Left Coast.
Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

Euro I – Burgundy, Bordeaux, Germany, Alsace

~ $279 per person; $529 per couple.
~ weekly on weeknights at 7:00 pm

A three-session seminar on the Classics. You can’t appreciate what is new until you’ve seen what started the world’s interest in fine wine. We’ll explore the climatic characteristics of these famous regions, plus the topographical features that make one wine worth hundreds of dollars while a nearby neighbor may only have commanded a tenth as much over a period of several hundred years. Equally important, we’ll discuss the history and cultural traditions which define why these wines are not just a composition of grape varieties, but rather are expressions of specific places. Northern Europe is on the margins for successfully keeping vines alive. The vines struggle, and that effort is reflected in the final product.
Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

Euro II – Spain, Italy, Rhône Valley, Champagne

~ $279 per person; $529 per couple.
~ weekly on weeknights at 7:00 pm

This three-session seminar is the more light-hearted side of Europe’s classic wine story. Champagne, of course, is synonymous with celebration, and Southern Europe has a completely separate cuisine, lifestyle, and set of values from their colder, more austere cousins in the North. Warmer climate means olive oil instead of butter, vegetables all year long, and hearty, extractive red wines. Spain and Italy have cultivated vines for more than 5,000 years, but residents there tend to think of wine as a staple in their diet; not as an expensive art form. Of course extraordinary examples do exist, but they are islands in a sea of everyday wines intended for the supper table. We’ll separate the sheep from the goats, point out a few bargains, and taste many shining superstars.
Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

Europe vs. New World Weekender

OLD WORLD vs. NEW WORLD

Special 3 Sessions Weekend Class

San Francisco, CA
~ $289 per person; $549 per couple.
~ Fri 7:00 pm to 9:15; Sat class 5:00 pm to 7:15; Sun 11:30 am to 2:00 pm

A three-session Specialty Class highlighting outstanding examples of certain grape varieties from Europe compared head-to-head with top examples chosen from the best regions for those varieties in the New World. Is it a competition? Not really; the wines all have their own individual charms. And we will point those advantages out, along with complete explanations about why the wines taste differently. But the instructor’s gentlemanly demeanor certainly does not preclude rafts of woofing from partisans in the audience.

The first session will concentrate [from a lecture, slides, and handouts standpoint] on Burgundy, Alsace and Germany versus Oregon, Canada and New Zealand. The second session will focus on Italy and Spain versus California and South America. The third session will feature Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley versus Napa Valley and Australia. Bread and cheese will be served at each session. There will be at least 15 wines at each session. Water and spittoons will be provided.

This is the perfect class to gain an overview of the planet’s best wines in a short period of time. You will emerge conversant, not only on the best 15 or 20 grape varieties, but also on the best 20 or 25 producing regions. You will get a good sampling of the relevant histories, cultures, and lifestyles. Best of all, you will see the top wine examples side-by-side so you can arrive at your own preferences ~ and learn to express them colorfully. You’ll get to taste $3,000 worth of wine in about seven hours.

Side-by-side comparisons of the world’s most noble grape varieties from the very best producing regions arranged to give you a personal opinion about who is winning each head-to-head competition. Well-prepared lecture each session, with slides and handouts, to make the climatic, topographical, and cultural features of each region obvious. Bread and cheese each session, along with appropriate prepared-food examples to demonstrate the special qualities of each grape variety. Some wines represent excellent value (under $20 in a retail store); others are rare, and expensive (well over $100 in any auction). Overall, this seminar is a concentrated exposure to the world’s 50 greatest wine categories, and an explanation of why each is important. Average bottle cost in a retail store is over $50. You might occasionally buy a few of these wines for yourself, but you wouldn’t assemble the whole extraordinary comparison for yourself. Become conversant on fine wine in three short sessions! Then dress up and go out for a San Francisco Halloween.

Believe me. You will dine out on these stories for the next five years.

Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

Fine Wines of the Southern Hemisphere

~ $239 per person; $439 per couple.
~ weekly on weeknights at 7:00 pm

This 3-session program is ideal for wine enthusiasts curious about the exploding wine industries of Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, but also South Africa, Chile, and newly emergent Uruguay. Australia today sells more wine in London than France does. The South African wine industry is a hundred years older than either the Australian or the Californian industries. The highest vineyard in California is 3,600 feet ~ Argentines routinely plant above 4,000 feet, and have two wineries with vineyards over 11,000 feet. New Zealand has taken the world by storm with Sauvignon Blanc, and is threatening to do the same with cold climate Pinot Noir. All these countries are making unique wines of extraordinary value, but equally important they are beginning to also produce consistent, world-class, artistic efforts which toy with triple-digit retail prices. Come see the whole range. Bruce Cass has worked the crush in Australia and in South Africa. He has traveled extensively in New Zealand and South America as recently as the last two years. He will entertain you with personal vignettes, and open your eyes to some extraordinary new wines.
Click below to enroll now, space is limited.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

Nevada City Varietal Classes

6 Single Sessions, in the Sierra Foothills

~ $425 per person with season pass; $795 per couple.
~ 2nd Fridays of the month at 7:00 pm

Great opportunity to see the world’s finest wines, as well as excellent bargains for everyday. This Series features a different grape each night. The lecture, slide show, and handouts will explain what makes the variety different, and why it is highly prized. Wine comparisons will show effects on taste due to topography, weather, vintner decisions, and bottle age. You can’t really appreciate a great $20 wine discovery until you’ve at least tried the $100 world-class version! Come see these comparisons side-by-side with an expert explanation of what makes them different. Come to the Sierra Foothills to ski, shop, see the sights. Start your getaway properly with a great wine class on Friday night.

Varietal Series Tickets Prices
(transferable; not refundable)
SINGLE
COUPLE
Syrah   $75   $139
Pinot Noir   $85   $159
Aromatic Whites   $65   $119
Zinfandel   $70   $129
Chardonnay   $75   $139
Cabernet   $95   $179
Total individual
sessions price 		  $465   $864
SEASON TICKET
 $425 $795
Space is limited, so click below to enroll now for the season discount.
Save on all 6 events, or scroll down and purchase individual classes.
Learn More »
View Calendar »

Nevada City Varietal Classes - Single Session 3 - Riesling & Aromatic Whites

A Single Session of the Nevada City Varietal Classes
in the Sierra Foothills

~ $65 per person with season pass; $119 per couple.
~ 2nd Friday of Feb 2010 at 7:00 pm

This installment is focused on Riesling & Aromatic WhitesLearn More »
View Calendar »

Nevada City Varietal Classes - Single Session 4 - Zinfandel

A Single Session of the Nevada City Varietal Classes
in the Sierra Foothills

~ $70 per person with season pass; $129 per couple.
~ 2nd Friday of March 2010 at 7:00 pm

This installment is focused on ZinfandelLearn More »
View Calendar »

Nevada City Varietal Classes - Single Session 5 - Chardonnay

A Single Session of the Nevada City Varietal Classes
in the Sierra Foothills

~ $75 per person with season pass; $139 per couple.
~ 2nd Friday of April 2010 at 7:00 pm

This installment is focused on ChardonnayLearn More »
View Calendar »

Nevada City Varietal Classes - Single Session 6 - Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

A Single Session of the Nevada City Varietal Classes
in the Sierra Foothills

~ $95 per person with season pass; $179 per couple.
~ 2nd Friday of May 2010 at 7:00 pm

This installment is focused on Cabernet Sauvignon & MerlotLearn More »
View Calendar »