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There’s just one week left to sign up for our final WSET Foundation course of 2010 … registrations close at 5pm on Monday 27 September for the course running on Saturday 9 October.

The course is running at the Edinburgh Hotel in Mitcham, and starts at 9am.  During the day we taste seven wines from around the world while focussing on the basics of all aspects of wine appreciation – from the vineyard through to the glass.

We wrap up the day with the exam and successful students are issued with certificates from the WSET in London.

The course fee is $200 which includes the study guide and course notes, the exam, lunch at the hotel and all wines tasted.

Don’t be worried about the exam – it’s a fun day out and, just before the Christmas party season is the perfect time to brush up your wine knowledge.  Not only will you be able to wow at parties but you should be able to find a perfect wine match for Christmas lunch.

To join us, get in contact or call Alex on 0414 562 859 – but make sure you do so by Monday 27 September.

We’ve just discovered that our online payment system, which uses PayPal, has not been working.  At this stage, we’re not sure why, so we’ve removed the option from the website.  Unfortunately payments appear to ‘work’ while in test mode but not when switched to live.

I’d like to take the opportunity to apologise to anyone who has been affected by this.

This means that payments for our forthcoming WSET Foundation and Intermediate courses (Saturday 17 April for Foundation and starting Saturday 1 May for Intermediate) can only be received via direct bank deposit or by cheque.  If you need to make alternative arrangements, please do get in touch and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

As registrations for Foundation close at 5pm this Thursday (Thursday 1 April), I would urge anyone who wishes to participate to get in touch, either through our Contact page, or by calling me on 0414 562 859 (please be sure to leave a message if I don’t answer right away).

Once again, apologies from Wine Academy for this technical glitch.  We’re fortunate that wine tasting is not dependent on technology!

Wine Academy’s results for its second WSET Foundation course, held in January at the Edinburgh Hotel, are in and we’re pleased to announce that all candidates passed with flying colours! Results were even higher than our first course, with an average mark of almost 94%.

Congratulations to all the students. You should all feel very proud of your achievement!

And a reminder to anyone interested in either WSET Foundation or Intermediate – registration is now open for both courses. WSET Foundation is on Saturday 17 April and WSET Intermediate begins on Saturday 1 May.

If you’ve visited the Wine Academy website over the last week you’ll have noticed that we’ve announced course dates for January 2010.

In summary, we’re running the WSET Foundation and Intermediate courses, both starting in January.

We’ll be starting the year on Saturday 16 January with the WSET Foundation course.  This is a full day course (so yes, we start at 9am) and the emphasis is learning basic wine tasting technique along with what it can tell you about a wine.  We taste seven wines with a focus on the main grape varieties used in wine making around the world and take a look at wine making and food and wine matching.  We wrap up with the exam and you can expect to be finished around 5pm.  The day is a lot of fun and offers a solid grounding in the principles of wine and wine tasting.  It’s suitable for front line retail or hospitality staff who want to gain confidence and wine drinkers who want to expand their palate and formalise their knowledge.

The course costs $200 and includes study guide, exam, all wines tasted and lunch.

Being a one day course, Foundation makes a great Christmas present and we offer personalised gift certificates.

Details about the WSET Foundation Course and sign up here.

The WSET Intermediate course starts on Saturday 30 January.  We commence with a full day on the Saturday and then follow this up with 5 Monday evening sessions (7 – 9:30pm), from February 1 through to March 1.  Intermediate is more detailed than Foundation and, again, the emphasis is on learning through tasting.  As well as a more in depth look at what happens in the vineyard and the winery we take a tour through the main wine producing countries of the world.  You’ll need to have your wine tasting boots on for this course as we taste around 50 wines, but it’s also a great way to try something (or somethings!) new.

The course is suitable for anyone who has a keen interest in wine.  It’s ideal for more experienced frontline staff or those who work with wines from around the world.  If you’re a consumer who wants to learn in more depth about wines of the world then this is the course for you.

WSET Intermediate costs $650 and this includes study guide, exam, lunch on the Saturday and all wines tasted.  We’re happy to provide gift certificates for Intermediate but please check with the recipient first, as it does require considerable commitment!

Details about the WSET Intermediate course and sign up here.

Both courses will be held at the Edinburgh Hotel and Cellars in Mitcham and class numbers are strictly limited to 12.

A quick note to congratulate the students from the WSET Foundation Course run at the Edinburgh Hotel and Cellars at the end of August.  Everyone passed  with flying colours and there were some very high marks!

I’d also like to apologise, on behalf of the WSET, to these students for having to wait so long for their results.  Postal strikes in the UK have been causing chaos and continue to do so.

We’re in the throes of planning both Foundation and Intermediate courses for early 2010 and hope to have details ready by late November.  If you’re interested in further details, please do contact us!

Here at Wine Academy we were very excited to receive our Approved Program Provider (APP) status from the WSET.  This means that we are now able to teach the WSET’s Foundation and Intermediate courses in Adelaide!

The WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) was founded in London in 1969 and has become the world’s foremost wine and spirits education body.  The courses are highly regarded world wide and provide both consumers and industry with a structured and methodical approach to wine education and appreciation.

In order to deliver the courses in metropolitan Adelaide, we’re thrilled to have join forces with the Edinburgh Hotel and Cellars in Mitcham.  Our first Foundation Course is running on Saturday 29 August, from 9am.

The course fee of $200 includes study guide, exam, light lunch and, of course, all wines tasted.

If you’re interested  in wine and want to learn more, this is a fun way to spend a day!  The fact that you’ll also come away with an internationally recognised qualification is just a bonus!

Find out more about the Foundation Course or sign up now!

This year’s Edinburgh Cellars Shiraz Challenge takes off tomorrow (Sunday 28 June) at 11am, running through to 4pm.

Tickets are $30 at the door and include a glass and a $5 purchase rebate. It’s probably a little late now to think about booking for lunch at the pub, but that’s no excuse not to turn up. There will be about 300 Shirazes available to taste – and if you vote for your favourite wine there’s a chance to win a bottle of every wine on tasting.

Edinburgh Hotel & Cellars, High Street, Mitcham, SA, 5062, map.