This article was updated on April 15, 2024.

Are you looking to feel more confident when navigating a wine list? Are you thinking of switching careers and becoming a wine professional? Do you just want to geek out on obscure wine facts? No matter your intentions, there’s a wine class for you.

Below, you will find some of the best options available in NYC for beginners and more advanced students. If you don’t live in or near New York, many of these schools have programs in other cities or offer classes online.

And don’t forget, the best way to learn about wine is by simply tasting it. The more you taste, the more you will learn.

Scroll down to the bottom to see Manhattan wine stores that offer tastings.

The International Wine Center (IWC) is one of the country's best-loved wine and spirits educational centers. The school offers WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) beginner-level courses for those wanting to dip their toes into the world of wine and more advanced classes for wine-industry professionals. The IWC also offers courses on spirits and sake. 350 7th Avenue.

Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) offers wine, beer, and spirits classes, including a beginner’s Introduction to Wine and more advanced classes with a narrower focus like Wines of Veneto: Prosecco, Valpolicella, Amarone, and More. Whether you’re training to be a Master Sommelier or want to up your game on Riesling and Cab Franc, ICE has the right class. ICE also offers Court of Master Sommelier courses (in other cities, too), such as an Introductory Sommelier Course & Examination for serious wine students. For more information, contact ICE at (800) 522-4610. 225 Liberty Street, 3rd floor (Brookfield Place).

The Sommelier Society of America offers a five-month sommelier certificate course and a two-hour exam. The course is offered twice a year, in the fall and spring, for those interested in working in the wine industry or serious wine lovers who want to expand their wine knowledge. I took this course, and it gave me an excellent foundation of wine knowledge. The course is offered on Tuesdays from 6-8 PM. 724 5th Avenue.

Wine Scholar Guild provides certification programs and study abroad opportunities students of wine, whether professionals or serious wine enthusiasts. Classes are offered worldwide or online. To find out if a class is offered near you, click here.

Astor Center provides wine classes, whiskey tastings, sake seminars, and cocktail workshops. Astor Wines & Spirits is just around the corner, a spacious wine store with an excellent selection of wine and spirits that offers regular tastings. Astor Center: 23 E. 4th Street; the retail shop: 399 Lafayette Street.

Kevin Zraly’s Virtual Wine School provides classes for all wine lovers: casual wine drinkers, budding connoisseurs, and master collectors. Zraly, known for his skill at entertaining an audience while sharing his vast wine knowledge, no longer hosts in-person wine events. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have an evening of fun and education with the founder of the popular Windows on the World Wine School.

Corkbuzz Restaurant & Wine Bar hosts a variety of wine classes, perfect for beginners and connoisseurs alike. The classes cover exciting topics about wines from around the world, like the excellent blind-tasting classes, where you will learn the difference between classic grape varietals. Corkbuzz has two locations in NYC and one in Charlotte, NC, and offers online classes. 13 East 13th Street or 75 9th Avenue in Chelsea Market.

Murrays Cheese, the iconic West Village shop, offers entertaining pairing classes where you will get insider tips on how to find “wine and cheese harmony.” Click here for an updated class schedule, including virtual and in-person classes. 254 Bleeker Street.

Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels offers a “Wine Bootcamp,” one-hour long classes that include sommelier-led guided tastings with four tasting-size portions of wine and one food pairing. 249 Centre Street.

Visit a Wine Shop

Manhattan

Most wine shops offer in-store tastings or events. Here are a few to check out. Feel free to leave a note about your favorite wine shop tastings in the comments below.

67 Wine & Spirits - This Upper West Side shop offers tastings every Saturday from noon to 7:00 PM. 179 Columbus Avenue at 68th Street - (646) 762-5383.

Beaupierre Wines & Spirits - The philosophy behind this new wine shop (opened in November of 2022) is to offer “enriched programs that enhance the quality of life of everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or disabilities.” Beaupierre offers free complimentary wine tastings on Thursdays (5-8 PM) and Saturdays (5-8 PM). 664 10th Avenue - (929) 244-3096.

Flatiron Wines & Spirits offers a wide selection of wines produced by mostly small winemakers, many of whom farm organically or biodynamically. The store holds classes and seminars regularly, often with the winemakers themselves. 873 Broadway (between 18th and 19th Streets) - (212) 477-1315.

Grape Collective - Sign up for notifications of wine tastings at this Upper West Side shop specializing in small, eco-conscious, family-owned wineries. The tastings are held on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sign up at grapecollective.com to get notified of tastings. 2675 Broadway - (212) 222-3640.

Orange Glou is the only wine store in the world dedicated solely to orange wines. These wines are made from white wine grapes, the grape skins that stay in contact with the juice (as in red wine production) for days or even months, adding flavor, texture, and color. Located in Soho, the shop offers in-person and virtual wine events to learn about this hugely popular style of wine. 264 Broome Street—(917) 388-2283.

Veritas Studio Wines, voted ‘Favorite Wine Shop’ on W42nd St.nyc, holds tasting events at its Hell’s Kitchen shop by invitation only. To secure your spot, request to be included on the invite list on Instagram: @veritasstudiowinesnyc.

Brooklyn

Vine Wine focuses on small-production wines whose producers respect the Earth. Tastings are held on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 PM. 619 Lorimer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (718) 349-1718.

Slope Cellars champions artisanal producers and craft distillers. The shop carries a thoughtfully curated selection of classic and natural wines, small-batch spirits, cider, and sake. In-store tastings are offered on Fridays (and some Saturdays) from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. 436 7th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn. - (718) 369-7307