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Jancis Robinson, wine guru, recently stated that wine critics are, “parasites on the business of winemaking.” That puts me in my place, I guess. But it also got me thinking. Do we all blindly follow the advice and recommendations of so-called ‘experts’ when selecting and purchasing wine, and, if so, why can’t we make our own judgements on what we like?

Ordering and purchasing wine can be a daunting experience for the novice, and one that can be an expensive practice for those who don’t know what they’re doing. One way of improving your knowledge is to take a course in wine appreciation or wine tasting.

The most common and popular course held in the territory is accredited by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). The WSET was founded in London in 1969 to provide a high quality education in wines and spirits, and lets students start at the basic foundation course and work their way up to the highest available qualification, the Diploma in Wine.

The local front-runner of WSET education is Vincrest, run by Stephen and Jennie Mack, who run the Asian Wine Service and Education Centre (AWSEC). They are the only centre in Hong Kong to offer the complete range of WSET courses from foundation, intermediate and advanced, to diploma.

While Vincrest is the only school to offer the diploma locally, if you don’t plan to take your learning that far there are plenty of other options available. Schools such as Berry Brothers and Rudd Fine Wine School, the Concord Institute of Wine, and PEAK at the VTC also offer the foundation, intermediate and advanced courses. As they all run from the same syllabus, the only difference you will find are the different wines used during the classes and, more importantly, different prices across the board.

Hong Kong’s oldest centre for wine education is the International Wine Centre (IWC), run by Simon Tam and his team. With locations all over Asia, they have run the local WSET course for the past 16 years, but it’s time for a change. Tam recently told me they are moving into the realm of more personally suited wine education, rather than a course with strict parameters. Simon’s courses will offer a more down-to-earth approach, with a focus on taste and appreciation.

Whichever school you go with, if you do choose to attend a wine course, don’t be afraid. Courses have students from all walks of life, from accountants to restaurant managers, and they all attend for the same reasons, to increase their knowledge of wine. Who knows, maybe in the future there will be little need for wine writers and critics to tell you what wines are good, but then that would be me out of a job.

Alisdair Nicols

Concord Institute of Wine: Kevin Tang
4/F, B2B Centre, 36 Connaught Rd West, Sheung Wan, 2111 3009.

The Fine Wine School: Jeannie Cho Lee
Room 4305, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai, 2585 6001.

The Institute of Professional Education And Knowledge (PEAK): Steve Ng
8/F, Vocational Training Council Tower, 27 Wood Rd, Wan Chai, 9755 8734.