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“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

“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

Wine Lab Weekender Wine Courses

In the beginning, Wine Lab courses were taught on weekday evenings, one night per week for three weeks. By definition this meant registrants pretty much needed to be local. But we started getting inquiries from out-of-town visitors who wanted to take a sophisticated, objective wine class during their stay in San Francisco. Thus was born the concept of the Weekender. We’ve even started offering a Weekender Vacation in Nevada City, a charmingly restored Victorian town in the Sierra Foothills halfway between Sacramento and Tahoe.

These are 3-session courses. The first session meets from 7:00 pm to 9:20 on Friday night. The second session is moved up two hours (5:00 pm to 7:20) on Saturday night so registrants can make convenient dinner reservations. The third session starts at 11:30 am on Sunday, and concludes by 2:00 pm in case anyone needs to catch a flight.

The idea of the Weekender is that we can deliver a concentrated, yet high-quality wine learning experience without significantly eating into guests’ available hours for traditional tourism activities in and around the San Francisco Bay Area or Nevada City. Plenty of time remains to shop, see the sights, visit with friends, and sample the nightlife. We think of Weekenders as a romantic getaway, with an educational theme.

Keep an eye on our website schedule. We are tinkering with our Weekender offerings. Perhaps one of those Weekenders would make a nice Gift Certificate for your squeeze. Or consider a vacation that starts with a Weekender in San Francisco, then includes several days traipsing around a region or two of the Wine Country.

Send us a note if you would like to join the New Weekender Notification List.

Whether you sign-up for one of our Weekenders or not, should you plan on being in San Francisco or Nevada City any time soon, take a look at some of our recommendations for places to visit:

See our SF Bay Area Travel Tips

See ourNevada City & Sierra Foothills Travel Tips