Just The Basics: Wine Made Fun
Regular price $249.00
Unit price per
Just the Basics: Wine Made Fun is a series of five classes, over five weeks, that will introduce you into the vast world of wine and will help you take the mystery out of wine! In this class, like in all our classes, we use our “Wine Made Fun” approach, which will allow you to learn all about this magical beverage in a comfortable, interactive, and non-judgmental environment.
Each class is 45-60 minutes in length, and the cost of the course is $249 for all five interactive class sessions held via Zoom. There is a 30-student limit for each class.
This course will be split up into five different classes over a five-week period on consecutive weeknights, with one class each week – always at 7pm and always on Zoom.
Purchase of this course includes:
- Access to our Thinkific platform & Zoom links to attend your instructor-led classes
- Five student packets (one for each class) chock full of information and tools to assist in learning during the course and serve as a resource to you after the course
- Invitation to join our Urban Wine School Happy Hour Community
- Wine recommendations to complement the course, or purchase them directly from WineJug
If you would like to pair your course with some wine, you have the option to purchase either a 4-pack or a 6-pack of wine through our partner, WineJug. Check out the Wine Pack page for more information!
The five classes include:
Class #1: Reading Labels & Opening Bottles
Class Description: In this class, you'll learn everything you need to go from the wine store to your glass. We will go over some important terminology, how to read a wine label to know what you are buying and drinking, and finally we will go over how to open still and sparkling wine like a pro!
Class #2: Wine Service & Faults
Class Description: In this class, you'll learn the best practices for serving your wine in order to get the most out of it, including when to chill and what glassware to use. We will also learn about wine faults and how to identify when the bottle you've opened needs to be sent back.
Class #3: How to Taste Wine
Class Description: We all know how to drink, but in this class you'll learn how to properly taste wine and to know what to look for when you're swirling, sniffing, and sipping. We'll also expose myths and give you tips and tricks to help you feel like a wine pro!
Class #4: Food and Wine Pairing & Wine Storage and Aging
Class Description: In this class, you'll explore the art and science behind the basic rules of pairing food and wine, along with some classic pairings you can always count on. We will also learn about how to best store your wine and which wines you should age vs. drink right away!
Class #5: New World vs. Old World
Class Description: In this class, we’ll begin to travel around the vast world of wine, where we will explore and discover different regions, including the differences between the New World + Old World wine making styles, techniques, and traditions.
When choosing your course, make sure to confirm you can attend all five class sessions in the course by checking the course schedule. Once purchased you will receive access to the digital course and Zoom details within 48 hours of the course start date.
Available Course Dates:
August 2021 - Mondays at 7pm
- August 2nd, August 9th, August 16th, August 23rd AND August 30th
August/September 2021 - Wednesdays at 7pm
- August 4th, August 11th, August 18th, August 25th AND September 1st
September/October 2021 - Tuesdays at 7pm
- September 7th, September 14th, September 21st, September 28th AND October 5th
September/October 2021 - Thursdays at 7pm
- September 9th, September 16th, September 23rd, September 30th AND October 7th
October/November 2021 - Mondays at 7pm
- October 11th, October 18th, October 25th, November 1st AND November 8th
October/November 2021 - Wednesdays at 7pm
- October 13th, October 20th, October 27th, November 3rd AND November 10th
November/December 2021 - Mondays at 7pm
- November 15th, November 29th, December 8th, December 13th AND December 18th
November/December 2021 - Wednesdays at 7pm
- November 17th, December 1st, December 8th, December15th AND December 22nd
Course Schedule
Single Class at 6pm
- August 2021: August 3rd OR August 19th
- September 2021: September 13th OR September 29th
- October 2021: October 12th OR October 28th
- How to Choose a Great Bottle for Thanksgiving: November 19th OR November 18th
- How to Choose a Great Bottle for the Holidays: November 30th OR December 7th OR December 16th
Mondays at 7pm
- August 2021: August 2nd, August 9th, August 16th, August 23rd AND August 30th
- October/November 2021: October 11th, October 18th, October 25th, November 1st and November 8th
- November/December 2021: November 15th, November 29th, December 8th, December 13th AND December 18th
Tuesdays at 7pm
- September/October 2021: September 7th, September 14th, September 21st, September 28th AND October 5th
Wednesdays at 7pm
- August/September 2021: August 4th, August 11th, August 18th, August 25th AND September 9th
- October/November 2021: October 13th, October 20th, October 27th, November 3rd AND November 10th
- November/December 2021: November 17th, December 1st, December 8th, December 15th AND December 22nd
Thursdays at 7pm
- September/October 2021: September 9th, September 16th, September 23rd, September 30th AND October 7th
Mondays at 7pm
- September/October 2021: September 27th, October 4th AND October 11th
Tuesdays at 7pm
- August 2021: August 3rd, August 10th AND August 17th
- November 2021: November 2nd, November 9th AND November 16th
Wednesdays at 7pm
- September/October 2021: September 19th, October 6th AND October 13th
- December 2021: December 8th, December 15th AND December 22nd
Thursday at 7pm
- August 2021: August 5th, August 12th AND August 19th
- November 2021: November 4th, November 11th AND November 18th
- December 2021: December 2nd, December 9th AND December 16th
Tuesdays at 7pm
- August 2021: August 24th AND August 31st
- October 2021: October 12th AND October 19th
Thursdays at 7pm
- August/September 2021: August 26th AND September 2nd
- October 2021: October 14th AND October 21st
Mondays at 7pm
- September 2021: September 13th AND September 20th
- November 2021: November 29th AND December 6th
Tuesdays at 7pm
- October/November 2021: October 26th AND November 2nd
- November/December 2021: November 30th AND December 7th
Wednesdays at 7pm
- September 2021: September 15th AND September 22nd
- December 2021: December 1st AND December 8th
Thursdays at 7pm
- October/November 2021: October 28th AND November 4th
- December 2021: December 2nd AND December 9th
About Us
Urban Wine School is the creation of the folks at CLE Urban Winery in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
CLE Urban Winery brings Good Wine Made Fun that Celebrates Cleveland and Creates Community to Northeast Ohio. A key part of our mission is to connect wine lovers across Ohio, the Rust Belt and beyond through wine experiences, and we are so excited to share our vision of Wine Education Made Fun with the rest of the wine-loving world through Urban Wine School!
CLE Urban Winery is a working winery and tasting room to the historic urban setting in a 1920's era former auto repair garage. We don’t have a vineyard – our wines are hand-crafted and bottled on-site in our craft brewery-style winery and are made from premium grapes sourced primarily from the US west coast and branded to honor and celebrate the city of Cleveland. We offer our customers a chic, convenient and comfortable environment to taste and appreciate wine made in Cleveland, by Clevelanders.
Our passion at CLE Urban Winery is to share our knowledge and love of wine with our customers and to offer them a unique experience unlike any other. There are many “wine bars” out there, and a growing number of traditional farm vineyards and wineries predominantly located out in the Ohio countryside. We’re different – not only unique because we produce a wide variety of high quality, hand-crafted wines in the Cleveland metro area, but also because we run our business like a community center that just happens to make wine! By adding Urban Wine School to our offerings, we can broaden our reach beyond Cleveland and bring our vision of Wine Education Made Fun to wine novices and connoisseurs alike all over the country and the world!
Meet Our Team
I am a native Clevelander and I recently moved back home after more than 30 years away to be near family and to live my dream of opening an urban winery in my beloved hometown after a 20 year career in the U.S. Navy and 13 years as a defense industry executive in Washington DC.
Wine has always been a great passion of mine – I have lived and traveled all around the world throughout my adult life, studying and enjoying wine and food. I have advanced degrees in Business and professional experience in all aspects of business development, marketing and management, and have also pursued formal and informal training and professional development opportunities in the wine industry. All of my experience and education – combined with my passion for wine and for my wonderful hometown – culminated in my decision to open and run my own winery in the metropolitan Cleveland area and provide the ‘wine companion” to all the great craft beer and spirits made here! I am so excited about my latest venture - Urban Wine School - which will help to broaden and grow our community of urban wine lovers!
I am originally from the Cleveland area, however, I have not always called Cleveland home. My affinity for wine led me to the Napa Valley in 2003 to pursue a winemaking education there at the Culinary Institute of America. After several vintages spent in California learning my craft, I returned to Northeast Ohio and began making wine in the Grand River Valley.
When I learned of an Urban Winery coming to my hometown of Cleveland Heights, I felt compelled to make a contribution to the project. The vision for the winery is one that emphasizes community outreach through wine accessibility, and a commitment to educate and enable all levels of wine enthusiasts.
I look forward to interacting with all my fellow Oenophiles in the Greater Cleveland area and to sharing my winemaking skills and experience to teach and mentor fellow urban winemakers as part of Urban Wine School
Rebecca Pedersen, Urban Wine School Director of Wine Education and Resident Wine Nerd
Hello, my fellow Wine People! My name is Rebecca Pedersen, and I am the Director of Wine Education, Lead Instructor, and Resident Wine Nerd here at Urban Wine School. I am originally from Southern California, but with my love of education, I had the opportunity to teach English in different corners of the world. While teaching English abroad, I just happened to find myself living in amazing wine regions, like France and the Republic of Georgia. As I was teaching, I was also continuously learning, and my love of wine was sparked!
I jumped in head-first to the world of wine! I started by reading any wine book I could get my hands on and taking any classes I could find. I currently hold my Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Certification and am currently working towards my Certified Specialist in Wine Certification. Along with knowledge, I wanted hands on experience, so I got my first job in wine working as a harvest intern in Willamette Valley, Oregon. There I was not only able to taste world-class Pinot Noir, but also able to learn how to take a wine from vine to bottle. After harvest, I moved to Cleveland and met Destiny, the Owner and Founder of CLE Urban Winery. She told me her vision of creating a wine education program, and she gave me the opportunity to work on that vision: Urban Wine School.
I am excited to be part of the Urban Wine School team and the CLE Urban Winery family, and most of all, am excited to see all of you in our courses soon!