Wine & Spirits School specializing in global certifications, WSET level 1, 2 & 3, Wine Scholar Guild courses, Sake, and Spirits
05/14/2026
MinnSomm Latin Edition, new date. June 14th, 5-8p 4 courses, 7 wines, 3 cocktails, you be the judge! This is year 3!! Get your tickets today! Maybe a great Father’s Day gift… 6 Somms enter, 1 somm leaves. Winner competes at Pink Ivy, this fall! ,
This is our passion! Karin and Nikki love to scour the world and discover far off regions. We are in Nemea, Greece today. We are met by a lovely WSET 3, tour guide, Ourania from [email protected]. 2 winery tours in the books! Loved Gai’a! The grape here is Agiorgitiko. A versatile grape reminiscent of Beaujolais. Come with us next April on an epic tour!! Cheers!
Will Ethan be the next MinnSomm winner? Newcomer – Sommelier CompetitorEthan Winbush, has been a wine professional for the last 5 years. While I don’t have any formal training, and I’ve never been a part of an event like this. I’m hoping my real-world experience tasting, evaluating, and pairing wine with food can carry me to a win. When you speak with Ethan about wine, you would absolutely think he has formal training, he knows so much and is an amazing guide to those with little wine knowledge.
Will Autumn be the next MinnSomm winner? You be the judge! Tickets now on sale Meet Returning Blind Wine Competition Winner! Autumn Gilliam: “My love of wine began when I was in college in Switzerland, sipping French wine with my family and feeling like I had just uncovered an amazing secret. Fast forward and I became a golf pro running a golf course in the Chicago suburbs. I was asked to help with the wine list, and voilà—wine came back into my life, pairing perfectly with the swing of a club.
Now, I own The Adventurous Sip, a wine education business that’s on a mission to turn confused shoppers into confident sippers. I take curious tasters from swirling and sipping to sparking “aha!” moments that make people fall in love with what’s in the glass. From golf events to guided tastings, I make wine less intimidating and a lot more fun. Because wine should be curious, not confusing.
Favorites lately: I LOVE Etna wines (both red and white), Patagonia Pinot Noir, Riesling, Austrian and German bubbles, and Champagne will always have my heart.
Fun Facts: I was born and grew up in Albuquerque, NM and I love cooking New Mexican Food because I can’t find it in Minnesota. I played golf with Annika Sorenstam. I had the awesome pleasure of assisting on some wine curation and got to evaluate some Bordeaux wines from the 1980s to determine if they were salvageable after being transported on a U-Haul from Arizona (luckily some of the wine survived the trip).” 😏 ❤️
03/01/2026
The start of a full day of evaluating wines!!
12/24/2025
Sold out! But check out Cooks of Crocus hill for more classes from Vine Lab!
Exploring Nonalcoholic Spirits with Vine Lab | January 4 | Minneapolis | 4 PM Shop our selection of cookware for sale online or sign up for cooking classes at one of our store locations in Minnesota. For more information, contact us.
12/07/2025
WSET level 1 in wines. See you in class! Deadline to register is February 1st.
In-Person WSET Level 1 In Wines St. Paul Course DescriptionA beginner-level introduction to wine suitable for those starting a wine career or pursuing an interest in wine.For individuals new to wine study, this qualification provides an introdu
10/27/2025
Pros! What a great event! Thanks to all the competitors and guests! It was really close! Nico won by a hair. See you next spring.