Once a year, the Wine School of Philadelphia opens its doors to students from across the country for Summer Wine School: a week-by-week intensive that is the official training ground for the entire National Wine School network.

For anyone in the NWS community, or anyone who has been watching wine education from the outside and wondering how to get in, August is the moment.

The Accelerated Sommelier Course, beginning August 17, is the official core sommelier program for National Wine School students nationwide. There is no equivalent offered elsewhere in the country. In one week of evening classes, students move through blind tasting, wine theory, and the foundational wine regions — everything that forms the backbone of the NWS curriculum — and earn their sommelier pin.

The Wine Instructor Certification, beginning August 24, is the sole teacher-training program for the National Wine School in America. This is not one option among many. If you want to teach NWS courses — whether you’re launching a program in your city, building a private wine education business, or adding credentials to an existing hospitality career — this is the only path. The week covers how to lead a tasting, structure a class, communicate about wine clearly, and build wine education as a sustainable business, all drawn from the methods that have kept the Wine School of Philadelphia running for 25 years.

Together, the sommelier pin and the instructor certification qualify graduates to teach National Wine School courses anywhere in the country.

The Wine School of Philadelphia has trained thousands of students since 2001. The Philadelphia Inquirer named it the 2026 Silver Medal Winner for Top Trade School. WineMaker magazine ranks it among the best sommelier training programs in the country.

Summer Wine School is held once a year, in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. Registration is open now at vinology.com.