The Ancient Wine Scholar program is a unique journey into the very roots of winemaking, designed for students pursuing advanced wine education. Over eight in-depth classes, you will trace the evolution of wine from its Neolithic birth in the Caucasus to its central role in the ancient Mediterranean world. Each session combines history, archaeology, grape genetics, viticulture, and sensory analysis with carefully curated tastings.

Students will explore:

• The Birth of Wine in Georgia and Armenia, where beeswax, clay jars, and wild grapes first converged into winemaking.

• The Empires of Anatolia and Canaan, where trade, religion, and statecraft transformed wine into a cultural force.

• The Minoans, Mycenaeans, and Greeks, who stabilized wine styles and spread them across the Mediterranean.

• Magna Graecia and the Etruscans, where Greek colonies and Italic tribes laid the foundation for Rome’s rise.

• The Roman World, where viticulture, technology, and wine law forged the blueprint for Europe’s vineyards.

• Ancient Wine Traditions Still Alive Today, from qvevri in Georgia to volcanic viticulture in Sicily.

More than a history course, this program is designed to sharpen your skills as a professional taster. You’ll learn how terroir, tradition, and technology shaped ancient wines and how those same forces still influence modern producers. Each class concludes with a guided tasting that connects living wines to their ancestral past.

This program is part of the Advanced Wine Scholar curriculum at the National Wine School and can be applied toward higher certification levels, including the Master in Wine.

Whether you are seeking to deepen your expertise or to understand wine’s cultural power across millennia, the Ancient Wine Scholar offers an unforgettable exploration of the world’s oldest beverage.