A thirst for knowledge

Further education

The best book on the subject is Michael Schuster’s Essential Winetasting (Mitchell Beazley, £15.99). If you want to learn with other people (whose opinions will help you form your own), the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (www.wset.co.uk), and Wine Education Service (www.wine-education-service.co.uk) offer courses nationwide. In London, the auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s both offer wine courses. Finally: I’ve sent many friends and colleagues to Michael Schuster’s home-based courses (www.schuster.f9.co.uk) and received 100 per cent glowing reports.