Let’s face it: Your first glass of wine was probably Barefoot pink moscato, not a Chateau Lafite Rothschild. But when you are ready to reach for wine on a higher shelf, it can be difficult to decide what bottle is best.

With so many varietals, regions, vintages, and producers to wade through, Googling your way to wine knowledge can feel futile. Instead, let the professionals guide you through the vast world of vino at one of these Denver-area classes. Whether you’re an aspiring sommelier or just a casual imbiber trying to graduate from the bottom shelf, these courses will boost your confidence in the wine aisle.

Uncorked Kitchen & Wine Bar

• Where: 8171 S. Chester St., Suite A, Centennial
• Rate: $79 for a two-hour class featuring tasting based on a theme
• Tip for beginners: “Come in with an open mind and an open palette,” says Michelle Brede, an instructor at Uncorked. “There are grape flavors you may not have liked in the past that you may leave with a new appreciation for.”

Wine tasting can seem intimidating and exclusive, so when Eric and Katie Robbins opened the Uncorked Kitchen & Wine Bar cooking school in 2015, they did so with the goal of making this fancy fermented fruit more approachable. The wine bar, for example, is modeled after Italian enotecas (small bars where bottles can be sampled in sips instead of glasses).

That mission extends to Uncorked’s structured wine classes as well. While the cooking school fires away upstairs, the first-floor wine cellar hosts two classes a month ranging from food-pairing fundamentals to a deep dive on specific varietals and regions. Michelle Brede, who holds a level II certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers and has led these educational sipping sessions for the last three years, says attendees can expect a balance of both brevity and useful tips—all without the haughtiness. “Take from it what you want,” she says. “There are lots of maps and info, but it’s also a good time to just hang out and sip wine.”

Grappolo Food and Wine School

• Where: Restaurant Olivia, Birch Road Social Club, and more
• Rate: $195 for the 4.5-hour Italian Wine Principles course; $275 for the two-day Sommelier Bootcamp; $925 for the four-day Italian Wine Consultant course
• Tip for beginners: “Wine is your own journey. Your palate is your own,” says Restaurant Olivia’s Scott Thomas. “Everyone tastes things uniquely, so don’t put any pressure on learning at anyone else’s pace.”

Scott Thomas’ wine credentials rival a CVS receipt in length. He’s an Italian wine ambassador and educator from the Vinitaly International Academy and Master of Wine, a certified sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and holds a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) level III designation, among other qualifications. In addition to using his know-how as the wine director at Restaurant Olivia, Thomas takes it on the road with his mobile wine school.

Thomas and his wife, Paula, established the Grappolo Food and Wine School—named after the Italian word for “grape cluster”—in 2022. Classes range from two-day Sommelier Bootcamps at Birch Road Social House to a multi-week Italian Wine Consultant Course at Restaurant Olivia. “We have people that touch wine every day of their lives as their profession, and then those who are just looking to deepen their knowledge and willing to take that big leap of getting into a classroom,” Thomas says.

If you’re truly committed to learning the craft, consider joining the Tuscany immersion trip. During your weeklong stay in Panzano, you’ll take cooking lessons, meet local producers, dine at some of the couple’s favorite Chianti eateries, and even stay in the Thomas’ former home.

Noble Riot

• Where: 1336 27th St., Suite 100, Denver (RiNo)
• Rate: $39 flight tasting sessions (free for Flight Club members)
• Tip for beginners: “The thing that helped me the most was having a group of people that was interested and willing to taste with me,” says cofounder Troy Bowen. “It’s a fun way to get to know a little bit more about wine and find a group of people that are also really into it.”

Forget the maps and slideshows, Flight Club at Noble Riot is all about experiencing the flavor firsthand. Led by cofounder Troy Bowen, this weekly community tasting event features four wine pours and free-flowing conversation. The classes, though always casual, range in theme from how to saber a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine to what’s trending among the industry’s tastemakers. But no matter the topic, you can always expect an emphasis on natural wines. Since its debut in 2019, Noble Riot has been extolling the virtues of vino that’s naturally fermented with limited filtration and few to no additives.

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