Online wine course

Learn about wine online, five minutes at a time

170 short, interactive lessons in 26 units: the basics, how to taste, the grapes that matter, food and wine, labels, and twelve wine countries region by region. Start free in your browser or on iPhone.

Start the free units See the syllabus
  • 170interactive lessons
  • 26units
  • ~21 hat your own pace
  • 4languages
  • 2 unitsfree

Look inside a lesson

Real screens from the free lesson How to read a wine label. Try it yourself, no account needed.

  • A lesson card with an illustration of an archaeologist finding labelled wine jars in Tutankhamun's tomb
    Each lesson teaches one idea at a time, on short illustrated cards.
  • A true-or-false question answered correctly, with the key fact explained below
    Quick questions check it straight away, with the key fact.
  • A multiple-choice question answered wrongly, showing the right answer and a note that it will come back
    Get one wrong and it comes back at the end, so it sticks.
  • A matching exercise pairing Chablis, White Sancerre and Chianti with their grapes
    Matching, true-or-false and pick-one keep you doing, not just reading.

How the course works

Short, interactive lessons

Each lesson is a handful of illustrated cards and quick questions. A wrong answer comes back at the end, so it sticks.

Five minutes a day

Set a daily goal, keep a streak, and pick up where you left off on any device.

Practical from day one

Taste, read a label, order in a restaurant and pair food: the course starts with the bottle in front of you.

Web and iPhone, one account

Take it in your browser on any computer or phone, or in the Winelingo app. Your progress follows you.

The syllabus

Every unit, every lesson. Open a unit to see what each lesson teaches.

The essentials

The ideas everything builds on, then how to taste, the grapes that matter, labels, food, serving, the table and health.

Unit 1 · Free Foundations The ideas every other lesson builds on · 8 lessons Unit 2 · Free Tasting & senses How to taste, step by step · 8 lessons Unit 3 Red grapes The big names and a few to discover · 7 lessons Unit 4 White grapes From Chardonnay to Riesling, rosé and bubbles · 6 lessons Unit 5 Reading the label Decode any wine label · 3 lessons Unit 6 Food & wine What to pour with what · 7 lessons Unit 7 Serving & glassware Glasses, decanting, storing · 7 lessons Unit 8 Wine at the table Restaurants, etiquette, parties and gifts · 11 lessons Unit 9 Wine, health & moderation A balanced, factual look · 3 lessons

The wine countries

Twelve countries, region by region, with the grapes and the words on the label.

Unit 10 France Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Loire and Champagne · 10 lessons Unit 11 Italy Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto and the south · 8 lessons Unit 12 Spain Rioja, Ribera, Priorat, Cava and Sherry · 8 lessons Unit 13 Portugal Port, the Douro, Vinho Verde and Madeira · 8 lessons Unit 14 Germany Riesling, the Mosel, the Rhine and the warm south · 7 lessons Unit 15 Austria Grüner Veltliner, the Wachau, Burgenland and Styria · 6 lessons Unit 16 USA Napa, Sonoma, Oregon and Washington · 7 lessons Unit 17 Argentina Malbec, Mendoza, Salta and Patagonia · 6 lessons Unit 18 Chile Carmenère, the Central Valley and the cool coast · 6 lessons Unit 19 Australia Shiraz, the Barossa and cool Australia · 6 lessons Unit 20 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough and Central Otago · 6 lessons Unit 21 South Africa Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Stellenbosch and Swartland · 6 lessons

Going deeper

How wine is made, the vineyard, quality and ageing, buying well and history.

Unit 22 How wine is made From grape to glass · 7 lessons Unit 23 In the vineyard How the grapes are grown · 6 lessons Unit 24 Quality, ageing & collecting Faults, drink windows and your own collection · 5 lessons Unit 25 Buying & value Choosing bottles, getting value · 3 lessons Unit 26 A short history of wine From ancient jars to today · 5 lessons

Unit photos: Chile, FRPGCHILE (CC BY-SA 4.0); South Africa, Michael Fu (CC BY-SA 3.0); via Wikimedia Commons.

Who it is for

Curious beginners

No wine words needed. Every term is explained the first time it appears. New to all this? Read how to learn about wine.

Wine lovers who want structure

Go from scattered facts to a clear map of grapes, regions and styles.

Restaurant and bar staff

Train the whole team, with staff tests and a test built on your own wine list. Winelingo for business.

Before a wine certificate

A friendly way to learn the ground a WSET Level 1 or 2 course covers. Winelingo itself is not an accredited qualification.

Price

The first two units are free. Unlock all 170 lessons with Premium at $3.99 a month (3 days free) or buy the course for life for $39.99 once. Refunds within 14 days.

See all prices

Buying for someone else? Give the course as a gift.

Questions about the course

Is the wine course free?

The first two units, Foundations and Tasting & senses (16 lessons), are free on the web. The other 24 units are included with Premium ($3.99 a month, 3 days free) or the course for life ($39.99 once). In the iPhone app every lesson is open, with five hearts that refill over time.

How long does the course take?

About 21 hours in total. Lessons take five to ten minutes each, so most people do one or two a day.

Do I get a certificate?

No. Winelingo tracks your progress, streaks and test scores, but it is not an accredited qualification. It is a friendly way to learn the basics before a WSET course.

Do I need an iPhone?

No. The whole course runs in your browser on any computer, tablet or Android phone. The iPhone app uses the same account.

Which languages?

English, Danish, Spanish and German. You can switch at any time.

Can I use it to train staff?

Yes. Restaurants and wine bars already use it for their teams. See Winelingo for business.

Your first lesson takes five minutes

Start the free units

For adults of legal drinking age (18+). Please enjoy wine responsibly.