Napa Valley Wine Academy

I recently passed my WSET Level 3 course at the Tampa location, and I credit much of my success to our exceptional instructor, Laura Tomayo. While self-study is crucial for exam preparation, the in-person class provided invaluable clarification on complex topics. The group projects during the course were key to mastering the written portion of the exam, and the blind tasting practice sessions greatly enhanced my confidence for that component. The multiple-choice section felt manageable thanks to Laura’s thorough coverage of the material. As an observation—though not scientific and without knowing others’ results, I noticed that our in-person class of 10 students seemed well-prepared. On exam day, approximately seven additional candidates joined us. Notably, the first nine to complete the exam were from our group. Afterward, we gathered outside, feeling confident in our performance and bidding farewell to one another. This experience underscores the outstanding preparation provided by Laura and the benefits of in-person learning.

NVWA is the only place where I am pursuing my wine education. I have attended in class instruction, as well online and feel that curriculum is exceptional. There are so many programs offered that I just keep adding to my list! I would highly recommend the coursework through NVWA. The instructors are fantastic and very knowledgeable. Whether you work in the hospitality or beverage industry or you are an enthusiast, this is the best place to get your education.

WSET Level 1 online course was very well done. Student support was excellent. The self paced option is great.

I've taken 3 courses with Napa Wine Valley Academy; two virtual and one in person. Each course was well attended, the instructors were fantastic and knowledgeable, and the course work was easy to follow. Would definitely recommend to others.

Well-structured, high-quality beverage courses with detailed materials, complemented by images, videos, audio materials, supplementary materials and practice quizzes. Both in-person and online courses are perfect for effectively developing your beverage knowledge to a high level.

The L3 Bootcamp was a totally immersive experience highlighting multiple facets of wine from climate and terroir to cooperage and cork. I learned so much and highly recommend!

It's clear why NVWA is the best brand for wine and spirits education! I successfully completed by WSET III, and just started level 4 D1. Their commitment to the student experience is evident every step of the way all the way up to their CEO. A terrific place, with terrific people to get the best in wine education or whichever path you take. Cheers!

I had a fantastic experience taking the WSET 2 course. Although, the two 8 hour days were quite packed with information. I think separating the course into 4 sessions would allow the material to settle better and the tastings be more appreciated. In any case, I would recommend this school. The instructors were encyclopedic in their knowledge of wine theory.

I took the online WSET Level 1 Award in Wines class with Napa Valley Wine Academy earlier this year and really enjoyed it. My instructor was awesome and the online learning platform was surprisingly user friendly. I learned a ton (maybe too much -- now my friends don't want to drink wine with me because I can't help but start dropping wine facts)! The class consisted of several self-paced modules (written content, a few self-check quizzes, videos, etc.), and three Zoom class sessions with group tastings that were recorded in the event you could not attend. I took the WSET Level 1 exam immediately after the course ended and it felt like a piece of cake (passed with no issues!) after making my way through all of Napa Valley Wine Academy's content. If you're looking to get a great foundation in wines and preparation for the exam, I definitely recommend Napa Valley Wine Academy's courses, but if you are looking for something more interactive to build community, I would not recommend the online courses -- nobody in my class used the discussion feature and I did not connect with a single classmate. I really enjoyed Level 1 and would have already signed up for Level 2 if it weren't so expensive....hopefully one of these days!

America's Best Wine School! Incredible line up of faculties, diverse & solid varieties of programs, great location and facility.

Buyer Beware!!!!!! Do not sign up for classes here! I signed up for a one night tasting class for fun for my birthday. I opened a promotional email, saw the class, clicked the link from the course to sign up. It wasn't inexpensive but my husband offered to pay sine it was a birthday treat. This was about 20 days out from the course date. About a week after signing up our covid case numbers start shooting up and our public health department recommends indoor masking again. I get uncomfortable with the idea of an indoor wine tasting especially in light of the person I was going to take the class with has an auto-immune disease. I call to cancel and ask for a refund I'm told "no problem". The next day, I get a call saying "sorry I was wrong - no refund only credit for future class". I'm not interested in a future class as this was a one off for my b-day. I get an email follow up with a copy of their refund policy (first time seeing this policy). I'm told on the phone I should have purchased cancelation insurance. I'm sorry? What cancelation insurance? No where in any of the links I followed to read about or sign up for this tasting was there any reference to any cancelation policy or cancelation insurance. Their refund policy says 60 days notice.... how am I supposed to give 60 days notice? Do they have a time machine I can borrow? I signed up for the course 20 days out - it's impossible for me to give 60 days notice! Had that cancelation policy been provided anywhere on any of the webpages or check out pages I used/looked at to sign up for the course - I would totally accept that I was a moron and didn't read the policy. In this case, the woman I spoke with referred me to the academy's home page (which I was never directed to via any link I clicked to sign up for the class) and scroll alllllllllll the way down to the bottom to click on a tiny little refund policy link - I was told I should have known to do all of this before I signed up for the class, Extremely bad business practice to hide the refund policies and blame the participant for not researching. Poor taste in my mouth. Disgraceful. Update: they did eventually give us a refund after my husband called, which I appreciate. But they really need to make their cancellation/refund policies much more prominent both on their home page on the website and throughout the online purchasing process.

The WSET 3 class was phenomenal. I could not have passed it without the class. The staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The fact that it was a harvest bootcamp made it even better. All of the "field trips" were great and the winemaker dinner was the best. I learned more than I ever imagined. Although there were long days you made it fun and rewarding. Thank you so much for all of your efforts and passion for what you do. It translates into a wonderful experience and success for all.

I took the WSET 2 course online, and happened to be in Italy at the time. I didn't realize that a physical textbook would be sent to me as well. I immediately emailed Napa Valley Wine Academy to let them know I was out of the country, and they sent me my textbook in Italy immediately, at no extra charge. And not to mention, my textbook arrived very promptly! When a company unexpectedly goes ABOVE AND BEYOND, it means the world and makes you feel so valued as a customer. Thank you so much! The online course was hands on, interactive, informative, and interesting. I felt extremely prepared for the exam and passed! I actually miss studying for the WSET exam! In addition to WSET 2, I also took an Intro to Italian wine course online, which was also fantastic. I can't wait to continue my wine education with Napa Valley Wine Academy.

Wine classes for beginers on line are so basic, can read that info on line for free. Super expensive for what they offer.

I took a Harvest Bootcamp (Level 3) from Napa Valley Wine Academy in Oct, 2021 and cannot say enough good things about it. Was initially worried about being intimidated being with so many wine experts but that feeling quickly passed. All of the NVWA employees, instructors and classmates were very much down-to-earth and unpretentious. They truly cared about preparing us to pass the exam, which was on the 8th and final day of the class. This bootcamp is set up very nicely in that it is meant as an overall review of the topics covered in the manual which is to be read on your own prior to the class. All the key points are emphasized without long, boring presentations. These are tied in very nicely with tasting sessions. Over 60 wines were sampled, covering all major wine regions, styles and grape varieties. Prior to this bootcamp I was very concerned about passing the tasting portion of the exam but after tasting and writing notes on all these wines based on WSET's Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT), you quickly learn to calibrate your nose and palate to gain confidence for the exam. Then there are the field trips - all of which were amazing and cannot be duplicated on your own. A unique experience thanks to the coordination of NVWA. It is obvious that NVWA has a good repore with top notch wineries and winemakers. Finally the lunches provided by NVWA were outstanding and paired very nicely with good quality wines! Every portion of the bootcamp required a lot of effort by NVWA and the result is an exemplary experience that I will never forget. John Russo

I'm in the process of earning several wine credentials in preparation for my next career, and although I'm a pretty good autodidact, I realized that I needed help in organizing stuff in my still-stuck-in-the-60s brain. Enter Napa Valley Wine Academy. While I could easily gripe about the fact that there's such a scarcity of quality wine schools, I'm not complaining that this is located in downtown Napa! I took the four-day intensive Certified Specialist of Wine course, and was very impressed with the instructor. Brenda is one of the team who worked on the exam, and told us what we needed to know in order to pass the test. Well, that's pretty much everything in the book, but I digress. The class was well organized, the wines that we tasted were high quality (that doesn't mean expensive), and the materials were a good supplement to the main study guide. The lunches were catered and were delicious every single day. My only complaint is that there was no afternoon coffee. I have a terrible time keeping awake in the afternoon in the best of circumstances, and sometimes felt I spent more time struggling to stay awake than focusing on paying attention. It had nothing to do with the instructor who was always engaging. A vat of coffee about 2:00 pm would have been ideal. Whether you just want to learn more for yourself or are seeking a future career in wine, I have to recommend this place. I felt that it was money well spent.

The best wine education one can get in the Bay Area, if not in the country. I left my WSET Level 3 class having learned a TON and having tasted about 70 wines - an interesting mix that included some high-quality examples. The teachers are phenomenal. So good that I'm sending my husband in March!

I have been traveling around the country and decided to visit Napa. I have always loved wine and decided that a class would be a great way to begin a deeper knowledge of the craft. I was incredibly happy with choosing Napa Valley Wine Academy for my Level 1 education. I felt that the preparation package sent truly set me on the right road for success in the class. My teacher was fabulous. She was incredibly knowledgeable, spoke in terms that I could understand and helped me to broaden my scope of vino. I loved the exercises and I have to say that lunch was excellent! Thank you for an amazing experience.

I just completed the WSET Level 3 Harvest Boot Camp at Napa Valley Wine Academy. This was an amazing class and all of the instructors were top notch. I can't imagine taking this course any other way. The integration of classroom time with winery visits really helped to reinforce many of the concepts being taught. There are a lot of options available to take the WSET 3, but I cannot imagine a better or more fun way of learning. I would highly recommend this course to anyone seeking out an opportunity to take the WSET 3 in a fun and professional environment.

My wine journey wouldn't exist without this fabulous school! A perfect mix of exceedingly high standards, cozy personal attention and deep relationships with the industry that yield the best instructors around, the Napa Valley Wine Academy can take you from newbie to international certification within months. As a local with this incredible resource right in my backyard, I'm always amazed at how far fellow students have traveled to take these classes. The world of wine is vast and complicated, but with classes that have both regional focus and broad international views, with classes just for your fun edification as well as for official certification tracks for somms and sellers, the Napa Valley Wine Academy makes it all wonderfully accessible.

The Napa Valley Wine Academy was a great and extremely substantive experience. My boyfriend and I took our first trip to Napa earlier this month and had only done some reading about the tasting experience. We have gone to tastings before but thought it necessary to brush up our skills and knowledge to get the most out of our Napa experience. We had Jurg as our instructor and incredible as the adjective to describe his teachings doesn't do him enough justice! He was able to gage our experience with a few questions and build on areas where he saw weakness, all the while giving loads of history on wine. We learned so much from the session and was able to apply it daily. I feel we just hit the tip of the iceberg of knowledge Jurg has and 100% encourage the more seasoned wine enthusiasts to sign up as well. This class is definitely tailored around the student. We are planning to make Napa Valley a yearly Spring endeavor and will definitely come back! Thanks Jurg and the Wine Academy for an amazing experience!

After researching the variety of wine certifications and wine instruction available in California; the Napa Valley Wine Academy was my choice for the WSET program. The WSET level 2 (2 day) and level 3 advanced (1 week) boot-camp classes are taught by well respected wine educators with matching credentials. The level 3 class is a great blend of classroom instruction and field experience such as vineyard and production facility tours as well as a cooperage visit. The instructors are knowledgeable, passionate, interactive, and great mentors! I made some great friends and the collaboration after class was very beneficial! Without hesitation, I would highly recommend the NVWA for wine education by the industry's top wine professionals.

Had a great week at the Harvest Boot Camp. The Level 3 WSET class can be taken anywhere, but the set up at Napa Valley Wine Academy included hands on experiences that cannot be replicated. The time in the vineyards, wineries, with the winemakers, and participating in the process of making wine.... those were the real highlights. And spending a week with folks from all over the country who have a common bond and passion for wine was awesome!

Excellent instructors from a pool of industry professionals. Great networking opportunities. I completed WSET through level 3 here. Wines chosen for tasting were well curated - very representational of the country of origin. Great experience all around.