Sensory Development & Wine Styles Winter 2026

The ability to assess the value and character of a wine is essential to a successful Sommelier. In this module, each successful participant will; develop your palate, your ability to discern quality and value and your ability to evaluate wines by: colour, weight, alcohol, taste, flavour, texture, complexity and finish. Learn to recognize poor quality, wine faults and spoilage; learn what causes the taint and explore possible corrective actions. Learn to recognize wines by style and taste profile in order to judge varietal typicity. Finally, become familiar with various strategies for pairing wine and food and get exposure to wine service skills.

Class Schedule - Winter 2026 - *tentative schedule*

1. Module	Date	Class	Instructor
   Class 1	January 27	Sensory Analysis of Wine, Introduction to Wine Service	Alana Steele
   Class 2	February 3	Influence of Viticulture and Viniculture on Wine Analysis P1	Alana Steele
   Class 3	February 10	Influence of Viticulture and Viniculture on Wine Analysis P2	Alana Steele
   Class 4	February 17	Midterm – White Wine Styles P1	Erin Hamson
   Class 5	February 24	White Wine Styles P2	Erin Hamson
   Class 6	March 3	Red Wine Styles P1	Erin Hamson
   Class 7	March 10	Red Wine Styles P2	Erin Hamson
   Class 8	March 17	Sparkling Wine Styles	Alana Steele
   Class 9	March 24	Sweet & Fortified Wine Styles	Alana Steele
   Class 10	March 31	Rosé and Skin Contact Wines / Food and Wine Pairing	Alana Steele
   Exam	April 7	Final Exam Day	Alana Steele

    

Course Evaluation

*** A research report (or PowerPoint if used) is due the day of your presentation, clearly indicating your references cited. 

Note 1: In compliance to CAPS national educational standards, participants must achieve a minimum of 70% to successfully pass this module.

Note 2: Participants must achieve a minimum of 70% (collectively) on the tasting components to successfully pass this module.

Note 3: Research projects will receive a 10% deduction per day accepted after deadline. After 5 days the research project will receive a mark of zero.

Note 4: Participants are expected to attend all examination days.

Note 5: Students have four years to complete the program starting from when they start Sensory Development & Wine Styles.

Course Cancellation and Refund Policy

Individuals registered for a CAPS‐AC course who decide not to proceed are asked to contact the Director of the Education Committee as soon as possible so their spot can be offered to the next person in line on the waitlist. Refunds can be provided to those who provide notice of cancellation up to 7 days before the course begins.

After the course has begun, no refunds will be provided for course withdrawals. Students are expected to review the syllabus and ensure there aren’t any conflicts with exam times.  Supplemental exam dates will not be given.

To pass a course, students must achieve a minimum 70% overall final score, as well as a collective average of 70% on tasting components. 

Students have four years to complete the program starting from when they start Sensory Development & Wine Styles.

Payment Plans

Students can sign up to a class and pay via a payment plan, typically 3 or 4 payments over the course of class. Please contact us directly for this option. Payment must be made in full before writing the final exam and no final mark will be given until payment is complete. If a student resigns from class with remaining payments they will be required to complete all payments within 30 days. We cannot carry over partial payments into future classes