Article Table of Contents
The Top Wine Instructors in America
There are a handful of wine educators that dominate wine education. They have founded the top wine schools in America and blazed trails into sommelier training. These men and women are essential to the world of wine. If you love wine, your bucket list should include taking a class with one of these teachers. Learn from a master!
- David Glancy, MS | Master Sommelier, Certified Wine Educator, Founder of San Francisco Wine School, San Francisco Bay Area
- Jonathon Alsop | Founder: Boston Wine School and Author: Wine Lover’s Devotional
- Keith Wallace, MS (Master of Science) | Founder, Wine School of Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Area.
- Marianne Frantz | Founder & President, American Wine School, CWE, DWS, FWS, Advanced Sommelier, Cleveland/Akron, Ohio Area
- Jay Youmans CWE, MW | Manager/Owner at Rock Creek Wine Merchants / Capital Wine School, Washington D.C. Metro Area.
- Christian Oggenfuss DWS, AIWS, FWS, AWS, IWP | Founder and CEO at Napa Valley Wine Academy & Online Wine Academy. Napa, California.
- James Cluer MW | Owner, Fine Vintage Ltd, Vancouver, BC
The Up-and-Coming Educators
Don’t get us wrong, these folks are amazing. Every one of them is in the top 5% of wine instructors. It’s hard being under the shadow of wine giants like Jay, Marianne, and Christian! The next generation is strong, and we expect great things from this group.
- Marc Bergeron | Fine Wine Consultant, Certified Wine Educator (CWE) @ Masciarelli Wine Company, Greater Boston Area
- David Gochros, CWE | Wine & Spirits Consultant, Hawaiian Islands Past: Educator/Fine Wine Specialist at The Estates Group
- Alana Zerbe, J.D. | Director of Education, Wine School of Philadelphia. Founding partner, National Wine School
- Tanya Morning Star Darling, CWE, FWS, IWS | Wine Educator Greater Seattle Area Current: Faculty at Seattle Colleges. Owner of the Cellar Muse Wine School.
- Erin Gleason, DipWSET, CWE | Sommelier & Wine Educator — Bringing Business Expertise to Wine Stewardship & Wine Education, Greater New York City Area Past: Wine Instructor at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
- Erika Frey, CS, CWE, Diploma WSET | Wine and Spirits Educator and Consultant, Greater Boston Area. Current: French Wine Scholar Approved Program Provider at Wine Scholar Guild
- Brenda Audino, DWS, CWE | Wine and Spirit Educator Providence, Rhode Island Area. Owner of Spirited Grape Wine School. Past: Instructor at Napa Valley Wine Academy
- Ray O’Mara | Educator / Consultant at Vino-Wise, Baltimore, Maryland. Current: Educator, DWS, WSET Certified Trainer, CWE, FWS at RPO Wine
- Natalie Breaux DipWSET CWE CS | Wine Educator, Greater Denver Area. Current: Instructor at Napa Valley Wine Academy
- Marisa DVari, DipWSET, CWE, Certified Sommelier | Chief Storyteller for A Wine Story PODCAST and Online Magazine, Wine Educator, Greater New York City Area. Current: Producer and Host for A Wine Story Podcast, Educator, Wine Journalist at AWinestory.com
- Ronald Roselli, CWE | Wine Educator at LaRochelle Cellars, San Francisco Bay Area.
- Kimberly Matthews CWE, CS | San Francisco Wine School, San Francisco Bay Area. Current: Cellar Master at San Francisco Wine School
- Neil McNally, CWE | Wine and Spirits Sales, and Marketing Professional, Educator, Orange County, California Area. Current: Instructor, Wine Education and Management at UCLA Extension
- Lindsay Pomeroy, CWE, AIWS | Chief Wine Officer at Wine Smarties, Greater San Diego Area. Current: Owner at The Wine Smarties
- Erika Frey, CS, CWE, Diploma WSET | Wine and Spirits Educator and Consultant, Greater Boston Area. Current: Wine and Spirits Instructor at Jonathon Alsop’s Boston Wine School
- David D. Denton, CWE, CSS, IBWE | Contributing Editor at Somm Journal, Washington D.C. Metro Area. Current: Instructor at Capital Wine School
- Harry Hertscheg, DipWSET | Executive Director, Vancouver International Wine Festival; Wine Reviewer/Writer/Judge/Educator. Canada. Current: Executive Director at Vancouver International Wine Festival
- Keri Busino CS, CSW | California Sales Manager at Long Meadow Ranch Winery, Greater San Diego. Past: Educator at Balboa Park Food and Wine School
- David D. Denton, CWE, CSS, IBWE | Contributing Editor at Somm Journal, Washington D.C. Metro Area. Current: Instructor at Capital Wine School
- Jessica Bell, DWS | Inventor of HaloVino. TV Food Show Host. Former Wine School Owner & Sommelier, Greater Milwaukee Area. Past: Founder & Owner at My Wine School
- Maurizio Broggi DipWSET | Education Director Italian Wine Scholar at Wine Scholar Guild, Las Vegas, Nevada Area. Current: Education Director for Italy at Wine Scholar Guild
Become a Wine Instructor
Looking at this list, you should note the broad diversity of jobs that certified educators have access to. Being an accredited educator is just as crucial as having a sommelier certification. We have an entire page devoted to wine education and what schools offer the best programs: How to Become a Wine Educator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you teach wine?
To teach a wine course at the professional level, you will need to have completed sommelier certification (Level Three) and also have completed a teacher training program.
8 Comments
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Not a lot of diversity here? I agree with above comment. Jane Nickles should be at the top of the list, if this is indeed “Wine Educators”. This seems just a list of “Wine Schools” but then you list Wine Scholar Guild. Very confusing, and you are missing several women that should be included. Mary Gorman-McAdams? She’s a big deal.
It’s very interesting that you and Wayne Williams both posted on the same day and both are promoting Jane Nickles and the Wine Scholar Guild. It’s even a little more obvious that you both are posting from the same IP address. Are you the same person? Are you perhaps Jane trying to sway the critics?
You guys should really consider adding Jane Nickles CWE, CSE, WSET, Director of Education at the Society of Wine Educators. She taught over 10 people on the list above. David Glancy and Jay Youmans will tell you she is one of the best in the business! She is also one of the few female wine and spirits educators in the world! I learned so much from her.
It’s very interesting that you and Karen Hugie both posted on the same day and both are promoting Jane Nickles and the Wine Scholar Guild. It’s even a little more obvious that you both are posting from the same IP address. Are you the same person? Are you perhaps Jane trying to sway the critics?
[…] to attend wine school. Capital Wine School is a good school, but this oversight may inspire other wine educators to open up a competing wine school in this majority-minority city. In addition, DC is a major wine […]