Bruce Cass Wine Lab

Bruce is an excellent instructor who shared a genuine and deep understanding of pretty much every aspect of wine (terrior, production, pairing, etc). I also appreciated his generous selection of wines, as we tasted some real gems from around the world in the red varietal food pairing class. I would recommend this class to those who are genuinely interested in learning more about wine but not for those who are seeking more a social experience. He taught Wine Appreciation at Stanford for 15 years so he takes the approach of an instructor more than a wine bar host which some may be mistakenly seeking from this class. This is not the class for those looking to drink and tell foodie stories.

I took this excellent 3-​day class this past weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for 2 ½ hours+). Bruce divides the class into 45 minutes of entertaining lecture and 2 hours worth of tasting labs. In the lecture, he explains everything from what to look for in various wine’s color, how different wines should smell, what tastes are present, how to describe what you like/​dislike in common «wine» terminology, etc. to which tools are best for opening, decanting, storing, etc. wine. A binder full of handouts also accompanies the lectures.
During the tasting labs, the class has an opportunity to try about 20 wines a day from all over the world (yes, that’s 60+ total — don’t worry you can dump them out). It was a great way to explore different looks, smells, flavors, etc. and determine preference. We even did several blind tastings of wines ranging from $ 8 to $ 175 a bottle.
As a home brewer, I’ve always been a little put off by the pretense surrounding wine (read: phonies swirling a glass and talking about its «legs»). However, I’d highly recommend this class to anyone interested in learning how to select and enjoy wine.

Great class for those learning to take their wine knowledge up a level. Bruce is interesting, the variety of wines is great, and it is generally a great learning experience.
Be warned that this probably isn’t the most polished course. It doesn’t seem like there is a set curriculum, and I bet the same course is pretty different each time given the free-​form nature of the lecture portion. Wines seem to be a random smattering of whatever Bruce has in his cellar, and in some cases not even tied to the theme (why are we drinking Pinot on Chardonnay night?). That being said, these quirks make the course pretty personal and fun and I recommend for anyone interested in getting their vino learn-​on.

Bruce has a gift for explaining wine to the novice. I came in with absolutely no wine knowledge and now have a favorite Gewurtztraminer (sweet white wine from France/​Germany)!
The class is structured in a way where you sit around in tables of 6 or 8 and get to discuss the wine with the other people in the class — great way to meet people and totally non-​intimidating.
Highly highly recommend — I’ve gone from novice to voraciously interested novice.

I took the wine fundamentals. Excellent class, especially the 3^rd session when you get to drink a lot of good wines with food pairing.
I agree with the previous Unilocalers about coming early and finding a good group of people to sit with. Having good company makes a big difference. (The second session, we were late and had to sit with people who were not as friendly. We made sure that we were there on time the last session to ensure that we sit with our original group of people.)
I learned a lot about wine and had fun doing it.

I just took the Fundamentals class last weekend and it was FANTASTIC. The crowd was a mix of newbies (like me) and aspiring wine snobs…
Bruce is fantastic and he has so much to share. A little bit of history here, some amusing anecdotes & the wine selection was amazing ! He also had cheese and crackers on all the 3 days and the cheese was soooo good.
The 1^st day he explains the components of wine by using doctored samples
The next day we tasted about 15 kinds of wine and he encourages you to explore your preferences
The 3^rd day was wine paired with small bites.
AND you get to take the leftover wine if you can snag the bottle before the others do :)
Highly recommend taking this class…

Bruce Cass? Tannic in structure. Incredible depth [of knowledge]. And a tad of diurnal fluctuation.
The Bruce Cass Wine Lab offers a series of wine courses, designed to education and entertain various levels of wine enthusiasts. I took the «Fundamentals of Taste & Smell» which is a three-​session course and «The Essentials of Great Wine» which is an eight-​session course offering an in-​depth look of various varietals and wine-​making regions around the world.
Bruce Cass’ has an incredibly deep knowledge of wine, wine-​growing regions, history of winemakers and their families and all of the related drama (!). Coupled with his dry sense of humor, the class is both informative and fun.
If you decide to take the course, here are some tips to help you get the most out of it:
1. For the first class, get there early to find a spot with people you’d like to get to know better. Typically, you’ll end up sitting in the same place throughout the course, so finding good company at your table is a part of the experience :)
2. Take a water bottle. You’ll want to stay hydrated between tastings. You’ll have the opportunity to taste some incredible wines that will be just too good to dump :)
3. Ask questions and take good notes. Cass has so much to share and if you’re like me, you’re frantically writing to try and retain some of the knowledge. Some of the most memorable stories about winemakers around the world were prompted by questions from the class.
Also, pay attention the the way he holds his wine glass from the base with constant swooshing. A nice addition to his fascinating character.

I am taking his Fundamentals class right now. I love him and the way he teaches… I have learned a lot from this class and will definitely try to take all of his classes. I do find the price for the class a bit high. I paid $ 229 for a 3 session class. He teaches both in SF and Menlo Park and I am now taking his Menlo Park class, on Tuesdays at 7 pm. We got to taste about 15 wines the other night and the last night he’s going to bring very expensive bottles, so I do understand why the class is so expensive. He also has cheese and bread available-​about 3 – 4 kinds of cheese and bread. This class was perfect for me! I have learned a lot… And he does give you a binder with different information and vocabulary. Great class to take for beginners as well as connaisseurs.

Bruce Cass Wine Lab: Fundamentals of test and smell was a delight! I went to the class at Ft. Mason with my bf and his dad (who kindly signed us up). It was not at all intimidating, but very informative. Bruce helps students recognize problems with wine and also allows students to refine their own tastes and discover what they really like. This was my favorite part! We were encouraged to form our own opinions without any preconceived ideas. There was also one night of «hedonistic pleasure» all about enjoying some good wines and snacks to best accompany them.
This class really jolted my enthusiasm toward wine and knowledge about wine. I look forward to eventually doing one of his other, more specialized labs.
Bruce is an old hippy, which makes it fun and laid back. However, while it is great to be in an unpretentious environment, he seems almost closed minded towards modern wine accoutrement. I know that most of these things are gimmicks, but I still am interested in hearing an expert’s opinion. He is happy with a basic old corkscrew, a beaker over a decanter and could not recommend a good wine cataloging software because «by hand is better.» Who am i to judge? After all, it’s all about the vino…

Bruce Cass Wine Lab offers wine tasting courses and wine & food pairing dinners led by renowned instructor Bruce Cass. It’s a top pick by San Francisco Magazine. Bruce is also currently a wine instructor at the Culinary Institute of America.