Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
Call it a tasting rather than a full glass. The Wine School of Philadelphia is launching a series of what it’s calling “Quick Pours,” three one-hour classes that begin this month. Each session covers a single, practical topic — like how to buy great bottles under $20 (Nov. 16), travel wine tips for Italy or France (Dec. 12), or decoding wine labels like a pro (Jan. 3, 2026). All start at 7:30 p.m. at the school, located at 109 S. 22nd St. You’ll taste great wines, learn directly from the school’s “next generation” of instructors, and leave with skills you can use, all for $39 per class. Keith Wallace, the wine school founder, said “Quick Pours” is a new program that has been created over the past six months. “I wanted a stepping-stone series for rising talent — our full-time instructors average 10 years of teaching, and expectations from students are sky-high these days," he said. “Dropping a new teacher straight into a packed class wasn’t setting anyone up for success.” He began working with a few of his top Advanced students — people who run divisions or manage large teams — and built an entire training pipeline. “Quick Pours,” he said, is the centerpiece, with the classes to be followed by a social hour. The cost is $5 for members and $39 for non-members. “We actually lose money on them,” Wallace said, “but they give promising new instructors the space to grow. We plan to bring on at least six new teachers over the next two years through this pathway.” You can enroll for any of these classes at this link. Otherwise, the "After Wine School" podcast is gaining great traction and a lot of positive feedback, Wallace said. Here are the links: YouTube Playlist Apple Podcasts Finally, the next semester of the school’s Core Sommelier Program will begin Jan. 11. “It continues to sell out every semester — we’ve been running it for over 15 years now — with students coming from D.C., New York, and even Harrisburg," Wallace said. “It’s rewarding to see people willing to make that kind of trip just to spend four hours in our classroom.” The cost for the program, which you can peruse at this link, is $1199.
