Wine Consulting Vancouver
With expertise in all corners of the wine industry, we offer sommelier services for trade & private clients alike.
Though we chiefly handle wine education, we know teaching extends outside the traditional classroom. With a team of three long-time sommeliers and WSET (Wine & Sprit Education Trust) Diploma holders, we bring over 45 collective years of expertise in the wine and hospitality industry, both locally and globally, to provide a sophisticated yet engaging approach to wine events.
Private Wine School
Depending on the size of your group (or your group’s attention span!) we offer a variety of thoughtfully curated classes, from small groups to larger gatherings. In all classes we aim to be accessible, inclusive, and fun while appealing to a range of wine knowledge levels.
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Ideal for smaller groups (up to 24) // Min. 75 mins - Max. 2 hrs
In all classes we aim to be accessible, inclusive, and fun while appealing to a range of wine knowledge levels.
Popular Classes:
It Tastes Like Grapes - Wine Tasting 101
This experience will teach you to explore your own palate, differentiate between aromas and explore different flavours, and learn the basic structure inherent in wine. We’ll taste a variety examples of classic flavours and structures and arm you with some serious terminology to use at the wine shop or at the table to order wine with cool + collected confidence.
All About Bubbles
As far as we’re concerned, the only thing better than drinking bubbles is talking about them! If you are a sparkling wine disciple, or if you’ve only dipped your toe into the Prosecco and Champagne waters, this is for you. We’ll taste different sparkling wines and dive into the fascinating history of what makes them special - including how they’re made and how to tell different styles apart.
Underdogs & Deep Cuts: Italy
With over 500 officially registered indigenous grape varieties and counting, Italy easily tops the charts for range in the wine world. It is a special wine-producing country to us because for all the well-known wines (Brunello, Barolo, lookin’ at you!) there are infinitely more lesser-known styles and cool, unknown pockets, and often those styles are what excite us most!
Custom classes available + pricing available upon request
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Ideal for large groups // Min. 45 mins - Max. 2 hrs
In all classes we aim to be accessible, inclusive, and fun while appealing to a range of wine knowledge levels.
Base Rate* - Up to 20 people: $1800.00 (+GST)
Above 20 people: additional $75.00 (+GST) per person
*Travel (if outside of 25 kms from DT Vancouver), rentals, food and venue costs not included in these rates.
Popular Classes:
BC vs The World
We will dive into what makes British Columbia a unique wine producing region. Expect to taste top producers from sea to sky alongside their legendary international counterparts. Together we will discover what makes the wines in our own backyard stand out and why the quality of wine we produce here is worthy of global
We’ll taste carefully selected wines and discuss what makes our wines comparable to global styles, yet deeply unique at the same tine.
Making it Fancy (ish)
In this class, we’ll pit some bargain bottles against some pricier ones and try and get under the skin of what makes certain wines “good” and what makes some wines simply expensive (spoiler alert: they’re not always one in the same…)
We’ll also delve into what makes certain wines cellar-worthy and how to organize yourself to host a wine soirée or pull out all the stops for a dinner party.
Custom classes available - pricing available upon request
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A great addition after any of our wine classes, or as stand-alone options for a more casual, mingling style event.
Before Class:
Charm and disarm your guests as they arrive! If you’d like a brief mingling portion before class, we can start the night off with bubbles as guests arrive and a canapé station.
Depending on your event, this might also be a great time for a brief keynote address or speeches of any kind.
After Class:
Once class is done your guests may want time to mingle amongst themselves and put their newfound wine knowledge into action.
We can coordinate and provide grazing boards or additional wine to pour to keep the party going. We are happy to arrange to keep pouring for you or simply set you up for the rest of the night!
Pricing available upon request
Alternative Somm Services
Our team of accredited sommeliers bring a professional yet fun approach to pouring and choosing wine. Whether you need us to pop bottles, or work out a wine-focused game plan for a big event - we’ve got you.
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This is Wine School Sommeliers pour wine and engage with guests throughout a mingling-style event.
f you’re looking to host an open house at your office or a holiday party, wine makes it come together. We’ll set up a bar station with a variety of wine options for your guests to try throughout the evening and give them the opportunity engage one-on-one with our sommeliers about what they are tasting.
Whether your guests want to engage deeply about the wines or simply want their glass to stay topped up all night, we can cater to a variety of groups and keep the wine flowing.
Rates: starting at $1,800.00 (+GST)*
*Travel (if outside of 25 kms from DT Vancouver), venue, rentals, food and wine costs are not included in this rates
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Whether you are looking to start or expand your wine collection, or organize your existing cellar, our team of expert sommeliers can offer guidance in purchasing and cellaring
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Do you need help with curating a thoughtful wine selection for a big event, or would like sommeliers to handle wine pairings for a special dinner?
We also can help with sourcing great local chefs and caterers!
Wine Trade Projects
Our background as teachers means we present approachable yet engaging tastings, training, and large-scale festival events. We have a wide array of industry contacts and relationships to draw upon for these kinds of projects if your event or project is intended for wine professionals.
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Through our experience as Wine Directors, Wine Educators, Sommeliers, and General Managers, we are connected to the pulse of the wine and restaurant industry.
Let us help you curate a wine list or provide in-house training and insight into your current program.
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High-level tastings, presentations and large-scale festival events executed entirely by our dynamic and experienced in-house team. We have a wide array of expertise, industry contacts and relationships to draw upon to ensure any trade event lands in the right inbox.
Some of our previous partnerships include Wine Australia, Vinho Verde, Wines of South Africa, BC Wine Growers, and Chianti Classico.
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This is Wine School is an Approved Program Provider on behalf of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) program.
WSET Courses are globally recognized certifications covering wine in all aspects: from history and geography to viticulture, winemaking, and classic styles of wine to service, storage, and aging of wine.
This is an extremely valuable program for all servers and aspiring wine professional to be able speak about wine with confidence and help guests navigate a wine list.
Simon Dodd - Director, Client and Business Development l Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
"We have partnered with This is Wine School on a number of occasions for client wine-focused events, and each experience has surpassed our expectations. Their deep expertise in wine, combined with their engaging personalities, creates a vibrant atmosphere and provides a unique experience for our guests. Consistent feedback from our lawyers and their guests is how much they enjoyed the experience, noting particularly how comfortable the sommeliers made them feel and how much they learnt from their interactions, making This is Wine School our trusted choice for memorable and impactful events."
“Maude was incredibly helpful for our Portuguese themed wine and food event for around 65 people. She worked closely with the menu and budget to curate some phenomenal wine choices. We would work with Maude again in a heartbeat.”
Max Tims - Head of Operations, Co-founder | Fable
