Ancient Wine Scholar Certification Online

This advanced wine course takes the student from the prehistoric moment of discovery into the ancient Mediterranean. We explore the subject of wine as a key element of agriculture, trade, religion, and culture. To do this, we lean heavily on archaeology and historical evidence. We also connect ancient practices to the modern era: many ancient rituals are still core to our love of wine today.

Where Wine Begins

Our story starts in the Caucasus Mountains, in what is now Georgia and Armenia. It is here where winemaking was discovered. It was here that the three core elements existed: the right type of grape, the right type of fungus, and the right type of clay soil. Without this accidental convergence, the history of humanity would have been very different.

In this class, we discover that even though these prehistoric wines are lost forever, their descendants survive to this very day, found in the traditional qvevri of Georgia.

Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean

It is here where many of our ideas of trade and religion begin, and wine is at the center of it all. It becomes central to religious ceremonies and key to the agricultural economy of many city-states in Canaan and the Levant.

It is here, in the deepest reaches of history, that key aspects of organized wine production and distribution are founded.

Greece and the Aegean

In this class, we move into the Hellenic world, beginning with an exploration of Minoan wine culture, then moving to the Mycenaeans, and finally to the classical Greek era.

From here, we move with the Greeks as they colonize the Mediterranean and spread winemaking and wine culture. We also discover how their ideas of the symposium and trade had a profound effect on the origins of modern liberalism.

Wine Comes to Italy

We start with the wines of Magna Graecia in southern Italy and move north to discover the Etruscans. These two influences, bound by wine, culture, and trade, give rise to both Rome and the modern alphabet.

Rome and the Expansion of Wine

With the rise of Rome, viticulture expanded in tandem with the empire’s power. Wine commerce extended throughout the known world, nuances of wine regions and styles began to develop, and production became universal for the first time in history.

It is here that winemaking enters Western Europe, and so many of the grapes we now know and love find their genetic origins. Rome changes the world of wine and makes it universal.

Ancient Winemaking

In this class, we cover ancient winemaking styles. Using archaeological evidence, written texts, and biomolecular analysis to uncover the past, we discover modern analogs that keep these millennia-old winemaking styles alive in the 21st century.

Clay vessels
Amphorae
Resins, herbs and other additives
Fermentation technology
Storage
Vineyard practices
Wine preservation

Final Project

Ancient Wine Studies Final Project

Students choose one of eight research or applied projects examining wine in the ancient world.

Subjects include women in ancient winemaking; wine and medicine; the ancient wine trade; climate and terroir; religion; wine in art and literature; and forensic wine archaeology.

Depending on the topic, the final submission may take the form of a research thesis, GIS mapping project, or experimental winemaking project.

Program Information

Price: $499
Format: Recorded and self-paced
Access: 180 days beginning with first login
Clock hours: 135
Credential: Ancient Wine Scholar
Prerequisite: Core Sommelier certification
Final assessment: Ancient Wine Studies final project
Recommended wines: Optional

Recommended Wines

Wine recommendations are provided throughout the program for students who want to taste alongside the coursework. Purchasing these wines is optional and is not required for course completion.

Prerequisite

Core Sommelier Certification Required

Students must complete the National Wine School Core Sommelier program before enrolling in Ancient Wine Scholar.

Advanced Sommelier Pathway

One of Four Advanced Courses

Ancient Wine Scholar is an approved course toward Advanced Sommelier Certification.

Students complete:

Core Sommelier + Four Approved Advanced Courses = Advanced Sommelier Certification

Ancient Wine Scholar counts as one of those four Advanced courses. For more information: Sommelier Certification Pathway Guide.