Bars & Pubs

Berry Bros & Rudd

3 St James’s St, SW1A 1EG (0870 900 4300/www.bbr.com)

BBR – with its 300-plus years of expertise as a wine importer – offers one-day classes as well as evening courses (four to six weeks), plus examination courses for wine geeks. All classes are held in the wine cellar of this venerable St James’s Street shop.

(020 8991 8212/www.wine-education-service.co.uk)

The WES runs tutored tastings, relaxed workshops in various venues across London, and even organises occasional holidays. Courses are geared towards beginners or those with intermediate knowledge, and specialist classes delve in depth into high-quality wines of specific regions, such as Bordeaux or Burgundy.

Cookery School

15b Little Portland St, W1W 8BW (7631 4590/www.cookeryschool.

Wine expert and food and drink journalist Susan Low hosts this two-hour beginner’s class, leading newbies on food and wine pairing.The course will investigate why some flavour combinations work, while others leave a bad taste in your mouth. £75 per person.

Tim Atkin Wine School at Vinoteca

7 St John St, EC1M 4AA (7253 8786/www.vinoteca.co.uk)

As Master of Wine and wine critic for The Observer, Tim Atkin certainly knows his vino. Anyone interested in learning more should take advantage of his knowledge – and sense of fun – by enrolling in his Introduction to Wine course, a six-week, six-session course held in Vinoteca’s private room. An intermediate course, titled ‘Life Beyond Pinot Grigio’, is also running from October. The price includes tapas. 7pm Mondays. £300 per person.

Wine & Food Academy

St Francis Xavier College, SW12 8EN (8675 6172/www.winefoodacademy)

As its name suggests, there’s much to learn here about all things quaffable and edible. From wine tours to classes (senior students can also train for the WSET, or Wine and Spirit Education Trust, qualifications). Five-week courses include the introductory ‘Know Your Wine’ option (starting September 22 2009) or ‘Country Comparisons’ food and wine matching course with a focus on wine regions (starting September 24 2009). £175 per person per course (£35 per person for one-off classes).

Michael Schuster

10 Hatton Garden, EC1N 8AH (7254 9734/www.michaelschusterwine.com)

Michael Schuster is a real wine educator, with over 25 years of experience. He teaches courses (six sessions each) for both beginners and advanced wine buffs, based at the offices of fine wine merchants Bordeaux Index, with plenty of wines to be tasted at each session. The current course for beginners is already underway, but there are provisional dates for a November start on his website. £255 per person (Beginner’s course); £375 per person (Fine Wine course).

Roberson Wine

348 Kensington High Street, W14 8NS (7371 2121)

The independent wine supplier Roberson has just launched a wine school in its Kensington shop. Its laid-back courses cater for beginners as well as the more knowledgeable, and there are workshops on individual regions. Prices start at £195. Read more

Wine & Spirit Education Trust

International Wine & Spirit Centre, 39-45 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF (020 7089 3800/www.wset.co.uk)

The WSET is a worldwide organisation providing high-quality training and qualifications for professionals working in the wine & spirit and hospitality trades, but their introductory and advanced courses are popular with amateur enthusiasts too. Their informal 'Wine Enthusiast' events often focus on a particular region or style.