The Top Wine Schools in America
These are the top wine schools in America, as reviewed by SOMM. We list the schools in random order, so placement will change daily. We recommend reviewing the schools that are closest to you. For a comprehensive overview of our review process, see the guide.
Criteria for Our Top Wine Schools
To be on this list, a wine school must be truly exceptional. It must offer students a legitimate path towards success. This requires a qualified teaching staff, a coherent curriculum, classroom facilities, and a history of high-quality education.
Our staff, as well as our team of over 200 sommelier judges, use a framework that includes ranking the quality of instruction, the depth of the curriculum, and the quality of the wines tasted. We also include the more mundane details, such as pricing transparency, regulatory standing, and student support.
Ratings and reviews for all wine schools are updated annually.
Star Ratings of Wine Schools
For each wine school, we also show a star rating. These are the ratings from students. Just like on Yelp or Google Maps, these ratings can be mercurial, especially for a school with limited ratings. We suggest reading both positive and negative reviews to get a feel for the wine school and to see if it is a good fit for you.
Wine Schools Across America
There are nearly one hundred wine schools across the United States. You can use this map to find most of them. You can also pinpoint the top wine schools near you here: Wine School Locator Guide.