Wine Studies at BU

Certificate Program in Wine Studies

Taught by faculty with decades of experience in the beverage and restaurant industries, as well as wine and food journalism, the rigorous, multi-course Wine Studies certificate curriculum at BU MET provides personal enrichment and enhances expertise for a range of students, including:

• Industry professionals
• Consumers who wish to enjoy wine to a greater degree
• Aspiring wine collectors
• Students who want to explore wine in the broader cultural context of food and cuisine
• People whose goal is to enter the wine trade

The merits of Boston University’s Wine Studies program are recognized by the Massachusetts beverage and restaurant trades, and those in the industry frequently hire those who have been through the program. In addition, industry professionals often participate in advanced wine classes, sharing their unique perspectives and providing networking opportunities.

Industry Discount
BU MET offers a 20 percent tuition discount to those in the food, wine, and hospitality fields. For more information, please contact foodwine@bu.edu.

Academic Credit for Gastronomy Students
Courses in the Wine Studies certificate program are available for credit, including as an elective in the Master of Arts in Gastronomy and the Graduate Certificate in Food Studies. Learn how to register for credit.

Extensive Cookbook Library
Benefit from access to a unique and growing library of more than 3,000 historic cookbooks—including seminal literature on gastronomy, cuisine, and wine studies—and food-related ephemera that is available to you as a research collection. Subjects range from the 19th century into contemporary food trends. The library is also home to the John Mariani menu collection, 40 years’ worth of menus (and growing) collected over the course of one restaurant reviewer’s career.

Financial Resources
The following scholarships and awards may be available to eligible students:

• The Rebecca Alssid Scholarship for Wine Studies
  Established through the sponsorship of the Boston Bailliage of La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and the US Chaîne Foundation, the Rebecca Alssid Scholarship for Wine Studies is given to a student who has completed Wine Studies Level 3 (Comprehensive Survey of Wine: The World) with distinction, with the approval by the faculty. The Scholarship comes with a certificate and an award of $250 to be applied towards tuition for Wine Studies Level 4 (Current Topics in Wine Studies).

Advanced Wine Tasting

Meets Wednesday evenings 6 – 8:45 pm, starting September 03, 2025
Prerequisite: none, but some prior wine knowledge or Fundamentals of Wine recommended
Noncredit or 4 credits

This course will develop blind tasting expertise through weekly focused tastings. As you taste many categories of wines side by side, you will develop the skills to calibrate your tasting acumen and relate your wine theory knowledge to your tasting methodology. Focus areas for the tastings include identifying different origins for the same grape varieties, ascertaining quality levels, developing an understanding of how methods of wine production affect wine style, and focusing on grape and region laterals that are commonly difficult to differentiate. By the end of the course, you will have a superior understanding of all the relevant tasting skills required to function at higher levels in the wine trade, wine journalism, and other relevant areas.

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Winemaking

Prerequisite: a passing grade in Comprehensive Survey of Wine: Europe,
or equivalent experience

Discover how to navigate the unpredictable and fascinating world of winemaking. Learn all stages of vinification from harvest to bottle through discussions and hands-on experience at BU and City Winery in Boston. Along the way, you will be able to document the progression of wine maturation and develop an understanding of the art and science of winemaking.

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