​WINE AND BEVERAGE LEARNING CLASSES - ACADEMY LEVEL
Great fun and customized to your learning level and tastes.

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Class is in Session!
Enjoy one-on-one learning with Brian Mitchell, Founder of New England Wine Academy, WSET Diploma graduate, and an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers.

We’re pleased to be able to offer this unique opportunity to spend a few minutes learning and conversing with Brian, from the comfort of your home. Brian has travelled extensively throughout the wine and beverage world, met and worked with winemakers, distillers and brewers, far and wide. He has studied with top industry pros, and has a long-term, professional approach to tasting and evaluating wine and other drinks at all levels. His personal approach to wine and his teaching style is both approachable and unpretentious, and is customized in each session for the casual wine drinker and the connoisseur alike.

Informative but lighthearted, these classes are a fun way to grow your knowledge and a fresh way to spend time enjoying wine at home.

Virtual classes typically range from $35 to $300 for individuals and households, and last from one to one and half hours – with the exception of the 35 Minute Wine Jam – and are hosted via the Zoom online platform. To book a virtual seminar session, please select your class on our Academy shop page by clicking here.

In-Person classes are $300 for up to 6 people, $25 for each additional. This fee does not include a room fee (if needed) or product cost. Depending on the seminar, you may provide the product, or we can arrange the same. Travel within 50 miles of Hartford, CT, is included. Beyond that, additional costs may apply.

After booking you’ll receive an email from Brian to consult with you on your class topic and learn about what wines, beer, or spirits you might have on hand or what you should purchase prior to the class.

We ask that you give as much lead-time on your preferred date as possible so we can customize the class to your needs as well as confirm dates are available. Typically, 7 days is preferred, but we can check our schedule and sometimes make exceptions if you need to taste, earlier! For larger groups, please enquire about rates. NEWA does reserve the right to decline a seminar request for any reason.

Booking
Virtual Wine Classes are booked via the Academy Shop page.
For more information and to discuss and book an In-Person class,
please email Brian Mitchell at [email protected]

Here are the class options...
35 Minute Wine Jam

• This quick dive wine seminar and tasting will cover two wines (can also book for spirits, cocktails, or beer, if you prefer) and cover the region of production, the history and dynamic of the product/producer/winery, how the focus items are made, and a description of the product itself.
• $50 per household - 35 minute session
• virtual delivery only, wine cost not included in the enrollment fee

Wine 101

• This one hour seminar is for the blossoming wine enthusiast, this class will discuss the basics of wine; topic of discussion will include how wine is made, noble grape varietals, how to taste wine like a pro, and how to order in a restaurant setting. We will typically have you taste three wine styles. You’ll leave with feeling confident and able to impress your friends! 
• $75 for virtual - one hour session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• Wine cost not included in the enrollment fee

Beer 101

• This one hour seminar is for the blossoming beer enthusiast, this class will discuss the basics of beer; topic of discussion will include how beer is made, the two family categories of beer, how to taste beer styles, and how to order in a restaurant setting. We will typically have you taste three beer styles. You’ll leave with feeling confident and able to impress your friends! 
• $75 for virtual - one hour session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• Beer fee not included in the enrollment fee

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Spirits 101

• This one hour seminar is for the blossoming spirits enthusiast, this class will discuss the basics of the particular spirit you choose; topic of discussion will include how that spirit is made, raw ingredients and unique production techniques, how to taste spirits like a pro, and how to order in a restaurant setting. We will typically have you taste two-three styles. You’ll leave with feeling confident and able to impress your friends! 
• $75 for virtual - one hour session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• Your choice of topics may include: Tequila, Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Rye whiskey, Scotch, Irish whisky, Rhum Agricole, Aged Rum
• Spirits cost not included in the enrollment fee

​Cocktailing 101

• This one hour seminar is for the blossoming mixologist. In this class we will discuss the basics of cocktail production; topic of discussion will include fundamental cocktail ratios, the 20 classic cocktails everyone should know, how to shake and stir like a pro, and how to assemble a great but reasonably priced home bar. We will typically have you make and taste two cocktails. You’ll leave with feeling confident and able to impress your friends! 
• $100 for virtual - one hour session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• It is recommended that you have a basic set of bar tools before this session - I very much prefer the Barfly brand of tools, and have assembled a shopping list on Amazon for building your personal bar set-up - click here to get that Barfly tool list...​
• Spirits and other material costs not included in the enrollment fee

Rosé Basics

• A one hour session where you can experience the most enjoyed and breakthrough style of wine of our time. Learn about how Rosé is made and taste three styles from around the world; ranging from sparkling, dry and sweet styles. 
• $75 for virtual - one hour session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• Wine cost not included in the enrollment fee

Food & Wine Pairing Like a Pro

• Learn to pair food and wine with your meal tonight as we discuss how certain foods and wines interact with each other. Taste through a recommended selection of pairings with your Sommelier-Educator to determine the key factors and techniques for creating a match, the flavor and textural elements to pay attention to, and the “rules of thumb” that apply to modern cuisine. 
• $100 for virtual - one hour session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• We will send you a short list of items to acquire before the session, each designed to help understand food and wine pairings and interactions. Wine and food costs not included in the enrollment fee

Traditional Vs. Modern Winemaking

• Taste through traditional examples of grape varieties from the old world, and learn how they compare and contrast to new world counterparts. Learn how terroir, appellation regulations (or the lack of), and winemaking attitudes can impact style. 
• $300 for virtual - 90 minute session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• Six wines are typically tasted as part of this session, wine cost is not included in the enrollment fee

Evaluating Wine, Blind Tasting

• No mystical powers are required for this blind tasting! Train your palate by matching specific flavors often found in wines with the wines themselves. Learn precise flavor profiles associated with classic varietals and how to critically evaluate wines the way professionals do. Your Advanced Sommelier-Educator will guide you through the techniques he used to pass one of the most rigorous blind-tasting exams in the wine world. Learn how to analyze the visual, aromatic and flavor characteristic, and structural elements to assess the quality and typicity of each wine like a pro! Learn to understand what is in the glass and eliminate what is not.
• $300 - 90 minute session
• Can be delivered In-Person (please click here to go to the in-person options)
• Six wines are typically tasted as part of this session, wines not included in the enrollment fee.