The Wijninstituut now offers basic wine courses in English in Amsterdam and The Hague and on a whim I decided to try one out.

I attended the Amsterdam course at Hotel Casa 400 conveniently located near Amstel train station. The objective of this course is to increase the knowledge of wine lovers in a relatively short period of time by providing the students with an insight to all basic aspects of wine and wine tasting. It’s an innovative approach centered on main grape varieties instead of a traditional geographical approach. At each class, students taste four pairs of wines from each grape variety.

Custom wine teachings

Sacha Oerlemans is the teacher of the Amsterdam wine courses in English. She ‘followed her heart’ by going to France to gain practical experience with harvesting grapes and producing wines but also to help her on her way to becoming a wine professional.

 Sacha Oerlemans

She returned to the Netherlands and worked for an Australian wine company and earned her WSET diploma. A few years ago, Sacha set up her own business specialising in custom wine tastings for companies and private individuals.

Participants in the Wijninstituut’s English-language courses are an international bunch with varying backgrounds and interests, but they all have one thing in common: a passion for wine and the desire to learn more about it.

Harnessing the senses

The sessions always begin with theory, including the history of wine, different wine regions, wine regulations, and vinification (wine production). A large part of the second half consists of tasting wines and characterising grape varieties. The method of wine-tasting harnesses the senses to analyse the colour, aroma, taste and finish of each wine.

The tastings are a fun way to distinguish different types of grape varieties. During the tastings, the teacher and students compare pairs of wine from the Old and New World grape varieties which helps them to understand the differences between the two. Old World refers to wines made primarily in Europe such as in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain where stricter regulations apply. New World wines are produced outside the traditional wine-growing areas, for example in Argentina, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. These wines have been sold on the market for some 30 years. Sascha explained that they usually have higher yields and are generally more ‘expressive’ wines.

 The English wine course in Amsterdam

Total beginners welcome

Although it helps to have some knowledge and experience of wine to better follow the terminology and principles, it’s not compulsory for this introductory course, so beginners can make up for it by asking questions, reading the course textbook and looking up definitions. Also all the students receive a package of information in hand and via email.

I would definitely recommend this English-language wine course to anybody who likes drinking wine and wants to learn more about it for personal or professional reasons.

The courses take place in both The Hague and in Amsterdam and consist of five evening classes held over a three-month period.

Text and photos By Vanessa Andreae

Related events:

• Expatica wine tasting in The Hague: Sunday, 9 May.
  Expatica invites you to get together for an informal wine tasting in the heart of The Hague. We will introduce you to other internationals and various wines in a cosy environment on Sunday, 9 May.
• Expatica Wine Mixer in Utrecht on Sunday, 25 July.
• Expatica Wine Mixer in The Hague on Saturday 7 August.
• Wine Mixer in The Hague on Saturday, 11 December
• Wine Mixer in Amsterdam on Sunday, 12 December
• Wine Mixer in Utrecht on Sunday, 9 January 2011

[Het Wijninstituut is not affiliated to anyone in the wine trade and operates independently.]