Wine Class: Come, Sip and Learn About Wine

Interested in learning more about wine? Maybe you want to develop your own wine-tasting skills or know how to pair wine better with your meals? At Víno-Klub in Brno on April 23, you can come and learn all this and more in a fun, informal, English-friendly setting with Arielle DeSoucey – a certified wine sommelier from the US! Photo: Brno Daily // photo stock.

Brno, Apr 4 (BD) – “Oftentimes, I feel that people are intimidated and embarrassed when they are at a restaurant or a wine shop,” said Arielle DeSoucey, an American wine sommelier from New York City.

It may be very easy to drink wine, but it is not always easy to choose wine. Some people rely on recommendations when it comes to anything related to wine. It is the role of the sommelier, or wine expert, whose primary goal is to educate the consumer and help find them their perfect bottle.

Becoming a sommelier is not an easy path – according to DeSoucey, there are various different ways to gain expertise in wine. Aside from a formal university education, there are two common, globally-recognized Wine Certification Programs: the Wine Spirits and Education Trust (WSET), and the Court of Master Sommeliers. Yet true expertise comes from tasting a wide ranging scope of wines over an extended period of time.

After spending a few years living in France, my wine journey began in 2007 in Washington D.C. as a manager of a wine bar. In 2008, I decided to advance my personal wine knowledge by completing the Level Two WSET Sommelier Certification,” explained DeSoucey.

DeSoucey added, “in 2012, after returning to my home in New York City, I completed the Level Three WSET Sommelier Certification. I then moved to North Carolina in 2015 and began selling wine at an independent wine shop that maintained an inventory of over 1,000 bottles.”

“With this combination of Sommelier Certification, travel, education expertise and constant wine tasting (normally tasting over 50-60 wines a week), I furthered my career and gained tremendous wine knowledge.”

In photo: Arielle DeSoucey at Herdade do Esporão winery in Portugal. Photo credit: Jim Strong.

DeSoucey affirms that it takes a lot of time and dedication to become a sommelier. “For three years, I taught monthly public wine classes at the shop, developing an expansive class curriculum which explored contrasting geographic wine regions, grape varietals and wine making techniques,” she said.

In starting her wine blog, DeSoucey is on her way to explore the European wine culture and further develop her expertise. On April 23, Arielle DeSoucey will be leading a guided, structured wine tasting at Víno-Klub in Brno – suitable for both beginners and advanced wine-drinkers!

“I am offering these wine courses as a way to have the English speaking community of Brno come together in a friendly atmosphere and learn about wine. I want to help people understand wine regions, grape varietals, wine labels and to develop their own wine tasting skills,” said DeSoucey.

“I want people to have fun, ask questions and perhaps discover a new wine that they have never tried before. I want to expand people’s knowledge of wine, grape varietals and tasting technique!” she exclaimed.

Keep up with Arielle’s future wine classes by visiting her website or following her on Instagram: @civilwines. Make sure you book your reservation for Arielle’s first class at Víno-Klub April 18 – there is a limited capacity! You can make a reservation by calling Víno-Klub at +420 602 533 144 or by sending them an email at info@vinoclubbrno.cz. The admission for the class is CZK 450 per person.

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