American wine education is not shaped by personalities alone. It is built by educators who design curricula, found schools, train instructors, and set national standards for how wine is taught. The individuals listed below are notable not because of visibility, but because they are directly responsible for durable wine education programs that continue to produce trained graduates year after year.
Established Program Founders and Directors
David Glancy, MS
Founder and Director, San Francisco Wine School
San Francisco Bay Area
Glancy established one of the first fully independent professional wine schools in the U.S., offering structured certification pathways, instructor training, and advanced programs outside European credentialing systems.
Jonathon Alsop
Founder, Boston Wine School
Boston, Massachusetts
Alsop built one of the country’s largest consumer-to-professional wine education pipelines, combining public classes with structured credential programs and long-form wine education publishing.
Keith Wallace, MS (Viticulture & Enology)
Founder, Wine School of Philadelphia
Greater Philadelphia
Wallace founded one of the longest-running independent wine schools in the U.S., with vertically integrated programs spanning consumer education, professional certification, instructor training, and advanced specialization through its national accrediting arm.
Marianne Frantz, CWE, DWS, FWS
Founder and President, American Wine School
Cleveland–Akron
Frantz developed a nationally distributed hybrid education model focused on structured tasting competency, educator training, and professional exam preparation.
Jay Youmans, MW, CWE
Owner and Director, Capital Wine School
Washington, D.C.
Youmans leads one of the most academically rigorous wine schools in the country, with an emphasis on theory depth, advanced tasting calibration, and Master-level exam preparation.
Christian Oggenfuss, DWS, FWS
Founder and CEO, Napa Valley Wine Academy
Napa Valley
Oggenfuss built the largest U.S.-based online wine education platform, specializing in scalable professional certification and educator-led distance learning.
James Cluer, MW
Founder and Director, Fine Vintage Ltd
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cluer operates advanced professional wine education and consulting programs in Canada, with a focus on Master-level theory and trade training.
Emerging and Next-Generation Program Leaders
These educators are distinguished not by seniority, but by active instructional roles within established programs, or by founding newer schools with clear curricular identity.
Alana Zerbe, J.D.
Director of Education, Wine School of Philadelphia; Founding Partner, National Wine School
Zerbe oversees curriculum design, instructor standards, and national certification frameworks.
Tanya Morning Star Darling, CWE, FWS
Founder and Director, Cellar Muse Wine School
Faculty, Seattle Colleges
Darling combines public-institution instruction with private wine school leadership.
Brenda Audino, DWS, CWE
Founder and Director, Spirited Grape Wine School
Audino leads a regional program emphasizing tasting literacy and educator-driven instruction.
Natalie Breaux, DipWSET, CWE
Instructor, Napa Valley Wine Academy
Denver, Colorado
Breaux teaches advanced certification courses within a national online framework.
Neil McNally, CWE
Instructor, Wine Education & Management Program, UCLA Extension
Orange County, California
McNally bridges academic wine education with trade and sales training.
David D. Denton, CWE, CSS, IBWE
Instructor, Capital Wine School
Washington, D.C.
Denton contributes both as an educator and industry writer, anchoring instruction in professional wine media literacy.
Maurizio Broggi, DipWSET
Education Director (Italy), Wine Scholar Guild
Las Vegas
Broggi oversees Italian wine curriculum development and instructor standards.
Kimberly Matthews, CWE, CS
Cellar Master and Instructor, San Francisco Wine School
San Francisco Bay Area
Matthews combines operational cellar training with classroom instruction.
Become a Wine Instructor
This list illustrates a critical reality of the wine trade: educator credentials open pathways that tasting certifications alone do not. Teaching roles exist across private schools, universities, accrediting bodies, online platforms, and trade programs.
Professional wine instruction typically requires:
- Advanced wine certification (commonly Level 3 or equivalent)
- Formal educator or instructor-training credentials
- Demonstrated classroom or program leadership experience
For a structured overview of training pathways, accreditation models, and leading programs, see: How to Become a Wine Educator.
For a complete overview, see our guide to wine schools and programs
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?