BORDEAUX

BORDEAUX BOOTCAMP

Get your WSET Level 2 in Wines
over four days of immersive learning

Hosted by Mini Constant, Master of Wine

Come and explore Bordeaux, the world’s premier wine region, with visits to six of the leading châteaux whilst doing your WSET Level 2 certification. The classroom sessions take place in the City Centre of Bordeaux and are instructed by Mini Constant, a Master of Wine who lives in the region.

This bootcamp is the ideal way to learn about wine. The theory you learn in the classroom is brought to life during the winery visits. You will get a full exploration of Bordeaux, visiting vineyards and famous wineries in Pessac-Leognan, the Médoc, St. Émilion, Pomerol, and Sauternes.

It’s lots of fun and we have a 97% pass rate at the WSET Level 2. There are no prerequisites, but we do strongly recommend starting with the WSET Level 1 to ensure you have a solid foundation of knowledge.

Accommodation is not included, which gives you the flexibility to stay wherever you wish. We provide you with different recommendations to suit a range of budgets. Included is a food and wine pairing experience on the first night at the famous Les Sources de Caudalie, and a sumptuous lunch on day three at a Grand Cru château in St. Émilion. Come and join us!

Bordeaux

September 30th to October 3rd 2024

Hosted by Mini Constant, MW

2,495 USD per person

Click here to learn about our registration, payment, and cancellation policies.

COURSE OVERVIEW

You will spend four days in Bordeaux discovering several of the leading châteaux and also learning about the major international wine regions. Our vineyard visits, winery tours, and presentations will take you on a vinous journey around the world. The classroom sessions take place at the InterContinental Bordeaux Grand Hotel in the city center of Bordeaux. You can stay there, or anywhere you wish, be it at another hotel or at home.

You will learn about:

The art of tasting in detail
Growing grapes and the role of terroir
Making and maturing all types of wine
Classic and regionally important grape varieties
Major regions in France & Italy
Classic regions in Germany & Spain
New World wine regions
Sparkling and fortified wines
The art of food & wine pairing

TASTINGS & INSTRUCTION

Fine Vintage is well known for our expert instruction, high pass rates, and the exceptional quality of our tastings. Your instructor is Mini Constant, Master of Wine, and is based in France. She knows the region in-depth. You will taste over 45 different wines valued at over $2,000+. Fine Vintage is considered to be the Harvard of wine education.

CERTIFICATION

At 4:30 pm on the last day of your bootcamp there is a 50 question multiple choice exam with a pass mark of 55%. Upon successful completion you will receive a WSET certificate which is a formal qualification in wine with international recognition. You can always re-sit the exam, if necessary, but we have a 97% pass rate.

ABOUT THE BOOTCAMP

Day 1 – MONDAY

Start your day in the classroom at the Grand Hotel in the city center. You will meet your fellow classmates and then learn how to taste and evaluate wine in-depth. The rest of the morning is focused on grape growing and vineyard management.

Lunch is on your own, and in the early afternoon we set off to visit Château Pape Clément to expand your knowledge of the classic Bordeaux varieties and the art of blending by creating your very own wine, which you get to keep! We then visit the iconic Château Smith Haut Lafitte to learn about organic and biodynamic farming, see their barrel making facility, and learn all about white and red winemaking. That evening, we have a tapas and wine pairing dinner at the “Rouge” wine bar at the luxurious Les Sources de Caudalie, located next to Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

Chateau Pichon-Baron

Day 2 – TUESDAY

We start the day in the classroom learning all about the intricacies of winemaking, with more insightful tastings of beautiful wines from around the world. Lunch is on your own, and then we set off in the luxury bus to visit two Grand Cru Classé châteaux in the Médoc, typically Château Brane-Cantenac and Château Pichon-Baron. Your hosts will walk you through the stages of the red winemaking process. Today you will also have a chance to see many of the most famous chateaux in the Medoc as we drive through the different appellations of Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe.

We arrive back at the hotel around 7pm for a free evening.

Day 3 – Wednesday

There is no classroom time this day. We head off at 9:00am to explore the Sauternes region and their spectacular sweet wines.

Afterwards, we head over to St. Émilion on the Right Bank, where we will have a fabulous lunch and tasting at a Grand Cru chateau, typically Chateau Pavie or La Dominique. This is an experience of a lifetime. We then visit a leading estate in the tiny neighbouring appellation of Pomerol, the benchmark for Merlot worldwide.

This amazing day is capped off with an hour to wonder the cobblestone streets of the village of St. Émilion, a perfect place to buy wine. We return to the city of Bordeaux in the late evening around 8pm.

Day 4 – Thursday

The last day of the bootcamp is entirely in the classroom. Get ready to dive into the world of wines from other regions in France, Spain, Australia, North and South America, and beyond. Naturally, we taste the classic wines. Lunch is on your own, with plenty of options nearby. The learning continues in the afternoon.

The WSET Level 2 exam consists of 50 multiple choice questions (there is no tasting exam) and is scheduled for 4:30pm. You may depart once the exam is over.

MEET YOUR HOST

Our WSET Level 2 Bordeaux Bootcamp is guided by Mini Constant MW

BORDEAUX

MINI CONSTANT MW

Your host in the Bordeaux Region

MEET MINI

MINI joined the wine tasting team at university, whilst studying Politics & Economics, and thereafter a hobby became a career. She started in London at the wine department of Harrods, followed by becoming a sommelière in a fashionable restaurant in the City of London. She continued her career with the Symington port family, who have been in Oporto for over 130 years and own the prestigious houses of Warre’s, Dow’s, and Graham’s amongst others.

In 1987 Mini moved to France with her husband and became an agent sourcing wines from South-West France for the UK trade. Since 2003, she has been running her own business, Tastevin du Monde, which has a number of different facets. It includes teaching WSET courses, mainly for young wine professionals, in France, in Bordeaux, and in China, in Shanghai. Mini also blends wines for various vineyards in South-West France and when replanting helps them choose which grape varieties to use to increase complexity, to cope with climate change, and to lessen the use of chemicals in the vineyard. The final, very enjoyable facet is accompanying groups in France and Spain on luxurious, fun wine tours.