Choosing wine at your local caviste in France can be a baffling experience. There are many to pick from and finding the right one for the right price, food or French person can be tricky and in the case of the latter, daunting. Taking a lesson in wine appreciation will teach you the basics of oenology: how it is made, how it looks, smells and tastes, how to buy it and how to serve it. Here is our Paris selection...

Le Cordon Bleu 

The prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school  has recently expanded its culinary base to include the study of wine with the new course "Le Diplôme de Sommellerie Le Cordon Bleu". WIne is a vital component to the culinary field as the marrying of wine and cuisine perfects the gastronomical experience.  Sommeliers  select restaurant's wine lists and pair the wine with dishes, adding to the overall success of restaurants. Cordon Bleu also offers basic 6  week modules for 375E  in Wine Essentials, French Wine and Vineyards, and Wines of the World. Three modules cost 1050E. These informative classes will broaden one's basic knowledge of wine through mini lectures and wine tasting sessions. Each module costs 365E  or one can follow all three courses for only 985E.

Venue: Le Cordon Bleu 8, rue Léon Delhomme 75015 Paris Metro: Vaugirard line 12 http://www.lcbparis.com

Ô Chateau

 A glass of wine in an old brasserie while admiring Notre-Dame? Ô Chateau specializes in French wine tasting in beautiful Paris settings. Started by young Frenchman Olivier Magny, Ô Chateau offers six different degustations including an introductory sampling, a cheese and wine pairing, and a bubbly hour cruising the Seine with a triplet of champagnes. The most requested circuit is the Grand7, which will guide your senses through the prominent wine regions of France, teach you to decipher a French label and to navigate a wine list. Magny is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher who explains the intricacies of winemaking and tasting in easy to understand terms, making it accessible even to the most inexperienced taster.  Just don't plan on driving home! 

Venue: Various locations in the 1st, 11th and 15th arrondissements Tel: 01 44 73 97 80 http://www.o-chateau.com/paris-wine-tasting/ 

Musée du Vin "Connaître le Vin"

Located in the 14th century cellars of the Abbaye de Passy, the Wine Museum offers "Connaître le Vin" classes on Saturdays from 10  am to noon or from 2.30 to 4.30pm. For the first half of the lesson, students learn the theory behind wine tasting and in the second half put their new found knowledge into practice with blind tastings. Classes are usually conducted in French, with English classes offered once or twice a month. It is requested that students do not wear perfume or after-shave during the dégustations. A 2-hour class will set you back 59E. Advance 7 day reservations required.

Venue:: 5, Square C. Dickens, 7501 Métro: Passy Tel: 01 45 25 63 26 .http://www.museeduvinparis.com

Centre de Dégustation Jacques Vivet

The Centre de Dégustation Jacques Vivet holds customary introductory wine courses in both French and in English (10 hours over three or four weekly classes). However, the centre also hosts advanced level courses for seasoned wine tasters: the "Cycle Cépages," which focuses on five wines from the same grape variety, and the "Cycle Appellations", which highlights five wines from the same area or terroir.  The two cycles are in French, so a good command of wine vocabulary is a must. Expect to pay 294E for the 10 hr.

Venue: 48, rue de Vaugirard, 7500 Métro: Saint-Sulpice - Rennes - Mabillon Tel: 01.43.25.96 30   http://www.ecolededegustation.fr

Updated May 2011