Saturday classes are a go! The weather reports –the real ones– are calling for rain and sleet in the morning.  If there is any snow, it will end in the late morning and turn to rain, eventually petering out by 2pm in Philadelphia.  That means the roads will be clear before classes are scheduled to begin at 4pm.

Of course, if you have premium tickets and rather not get your toes damp, free and reschedule your class.  If you do, you will miss the amazing duo of Frank & Quinetta!

This Friday, the Wine School is holding its monthly “First Friday” celebration. No reservations needed, just show up anytime between 6:30 and 9:30pm. The brilliant drunks at the Wine School have devised a great wine tasting, as always.

But they got a little bored, so they added a new feature to the mix: cocktails! So, if you want to learn a thing or two about making the perfect cocktail, then check out the Wine School this Friday. Better education through drinking, as always. $30 at the door. Cash only. 127 S. 22nd Street in Rittenhouse.

Wow!  Corked & Forked is rising to the top of  Amazon’s Bestseller list for wine books! Right now, it’s just under Benjamin Wallace’s Billionaire’s Vinegar.

Ben is a friend of the school (he wrote a wonderful blurb for the book, and even taught a class at the school), and his book is a bona fide bestseller: the fact that its still on Amazon’s bestseller list after so many years is a testament to how incredible that  book is.  That said, I would be giddy beyond words if I could best him this holiday season…

Even better, you can win free tickets if you follow us on twitter: twitter.com/wineschool

One.of.the youngest head winemakers in the United States, Sean Comninos  is considered by many to be the greatest talent to emerge  out of the East Coast in many years.

We are especially proud to have him at the Wine School, as he was a student at the school for several years. In fact, he was a star pupil, and one of the very first students to earn the Diploma Oenotropae.

Join Sean this Friday (December 2nd) from 6:30-9:30pm at the Wine School of Philadelphia. He will be pouring a selection of  his current releases and (possibly) barrel samples as well. No reservations required. $30 at the door, cash only.

This Wednesday, we have a very special edition of the Sommelier Smackdown:  The return of the original Chairman’s Selections! Pennsylvania’s wine drinkers fondly remember Jonathan Newman; he is without any doubt the greatest chairman to run the PLCB (the PA Liquor Control Board). Among many feats Jonathan is the original chairman of the beloved “Chairman’s Selections”   program.

When he left the PLCB, many wondered if he left the wine trade for good.  He didn’t, actually.  He built a new company, Newman Wines & Spirits, hired one of the top talents in the wine trade, and started selling wines to the rest of the country.  Our loss was everyone else’s gain. NWS is now one of the fastest growing wine suppliers in the country.

From the beginning, his secret weapon was a man we like to call the Chairman’s Sommelier:  Chris Goldrick.  Chris is a wino’s wino: hailing from New England, he ran the wine department for one of Connecticut’s largest retails, and then went on to become the Director of Education for the largest wine wholesaler in that state.

Affable and laid back, Chris is far from the stereotype of a Sommelier.  A rising star in the wine trade, it’s no surprise that Jonathan tapped him to become the Chief Operating Officer of the fledgling company in 2008.

We are happy to have Chris with us, and so will our students!  Chris will be bringing a selection of wines from the Newman Wines & Spirits portfolio to share. He shares the stage Zach Morris, one of the Wine School’s top sommelier-instructors. This is going to be fun!