BORDEAUX

NIAGARA BOOTCAMP

Get your WSET Level 3 in Wines
over nine days of immersive learning

Hosted by Nupur Gogia, Master of Wine Candidate & Matt Leslie, WSET Diploma in Wine

Come and explore Ontario’s premier wine region, with visits to six benchmark wineries, whilst doing your WSET Level 3 certification.

This nine-day wine bootcamp combines classroom learning with winery visits. At the wineries, we are hosted by vineyard managers and winemakers, and enjoy extensive tastings of both international and Niagara wines side-by-side.

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.

There are no prerequisites, but we do strongly recommend starting with the WSET Level 2 to ensure you have a solid foundation of knowledge.

Niagara

Summer 2024 Coming Soon!

Hosted by Nupur Gogia, MW Candidate & Matt Leslie, DipWSET

$3,495 CAD per person

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

COURSE OVERVIEW

You will spend nine days in the beautiful Niagara Peninsula discovering several of the leading local wineries and also learning about the major international regions. Our vineyard visits, winery tours, and presentations will take you on a vinous journey around the world.

You will learn about:

Advanced wine tasting technique
Viticulture and Vineyard Management
Winemaking
Alsace, Bordeaux, and Southwest France
Burgundy, Beaujolais, and the Loire Valley
The Rhône Valley and Southern France
Germany
Austria, Tokaj, and Greece
Northern Italy
Central and Southern Italy
Spain & Portugal
North and South America
Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
Champagne and other sparkling wines
Sherry, Port, and Fortified Muscats

TASTINGS & INSTRUCTION

At Fine Vintage we pride ourselves on the high quality of wines we pour. You’ll taste benchmark examples, and dozens of them. This is our signature.

You will be led by two highly qualified instructors. Your lead instructor, Nupur Gogia, is enrolled in the second year of the Master of Wine programme. She is also a winemaker based in Niagara and has worked with wineries in Spain. Also joining you will be Matt Leslie, a native Torontonian who obtained his WSET Diploma in 2016 and was accepted into the Master of Wine programme.

Over the course of 9 days you will taste more than 70 benchmark international wine styles in class valued at more than $3,000. Furthermore, a line up of Niagara’s best wines will be tasted at each winery visit. Fine Vintage is considered to be the Harvard of wine education.

CERTIFICATION

At the end of the course there is an exam that consists of 2 wines (one white, one red), a 50 question multiple choice paper and a 4 question short answer exam. The pass mark is 55% in all 3 papers. We have a very high pass rate for the tasting and multiple choice, so place extra emphasis on the short answer section.

Upon successful completion you will receive a WSET certificate and lapel pin. The qualification is highly regarded by employers.

All bootcamp students will receive a FREE Fine Vintage online course (value of $99-299 depending on the course) plus FREE access to our extensive video library.

ABOUT THE BOOTCAMP

Day 1 – Saturday

Start your day in the classroom in the Niagara Region. 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 in our luxury bus to visit an iconic winery in Niagara. The focus of this visit is on viticulture, with vineyard managers explaining their craft. We also enjoy extensive tastings, before a gourmet food and wine pairing dinner to welcome you to this special experience.

Stainless Steel Tanks

Structured Tasting

Day 2 – Sunday

We start the day in the classroom learning all about the intricacies of winemaking, with more insightful tastings of beautiful wines. Lunch is on your own, and then we set off in the luxury bus to visit two more iconic wineries.

Your hosts, the winemakers, will walk you through the stages of the winemaking process in real-life, and you’ll sample from tank and barrel. It’s a rare experience. At each winery, we focus on a different grape variety, with tastings of international wines side-by-side with local signature wines.

We arrive back at the hotel around 6pm for a free evening.

Day 3 – Monday

Today is spent mostly in the classroom learning about the wines of the New World. In the morning session, we focus on the wines of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. After your lunch break, we will focus on the wines of the Americas. In the late afternoon we will be joined for a special presentation by the VQA and end the day at around 6:00pm.

Structured Tasting

Textbook & Glass of Wine

Day 4 – Tuesday

This is a day off to provide time for self-study before reconvening the next day.

Day 5 – Wednesday

This is a full day in-class session on the wines from France. The morning session is dedicated to the classic wines of Alsace, the Loire Valley, and Bordeaux. In the afternoon, get ready to learn about the wines from Burgundy, Beaujolais, the Rhone Valley, and Southern France.

Day 6 – Thursday

Back in the classroom today you will start your journey with the wines of Germany, Austria, Greece, and Tokaj. In the afternoon, we will forward on to the classic wines of Italy. All in all a great day exploring undiscovered wine styles.

Day 7 – Friday

Our day will be focused on the wines of Spain and Portugal in the morning. After your lunch break, we will reconvene to explore the diverse styles of Fortified Wines by delving into Sherries, Ports, and Fortified Muscats.

Day 8 – Saturday

Time to focus on the wonderful world of Sparkling Wines. What better way to start a day than with Champagne, followed by several other classic styles of sparkling wines. After your lunch, we will head out to 2 Niagara sparkling wine producers to see the process and taste the results in person.

Day 9 – Sunday

Your last day of the bootcamp is exam day. In order to better prepare you for the exam, the morning session will be dedicated to review. We will provide you with practice tastings and mock theory exams to solidify your week of learning. After about a 90-minute lunch, you will first write your 30-minute tasting exam (consisting of one white wine and one red wine) followed by a short break before finishing with the 2-hour theory exam (combined multiple-choice and short answer). The day should end around 5:30pm.

MEET YOUR HOST

Our WSET Level 3 Niagara Bootcamp is guided by Nupur Gogia & Matt Leslie

NIAGARA

NUPUR GOGIA, MW CANDIDATE

Your host in the Niagara Region

MEET NUPUR

Nupur has a wealth of wine experience, including the WSET Diploma in Wine, a Spanish Wine Certificate from the Ocea Mae Institute, and is currently enrolled in the second stage of the Master of Wine program. She also has a Doctorate from the University of Toronto and has taught classes at both the university and community college level. She runs her own business, Island Vines, has recently released her own wine label, Khush Wines, and is one of the founding members of Vinequity – a non-profit organization that seeks to ensure equity and diversity in the wine community.

NIAGARA

MATT LESLIE, DipWSET

Your host in the Niagara Regions

MEET MATT

Young, dynamic, and engaging, Matt completed the WSET Diploma in 2016 and was accepted into the Master of Wine programme. He has also achieved his Certified Sommelier certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers. A native Torontonian, Matt spent several years abroad working in hospitality, and was our lead instructor in Calgary for nearly a decade. Propelled by his persistent inquisitiveness about all facets of wine, his adventurousness and love of travel has brought him to many of the classic and emerging wine countries and regions around the globe.