"Steven had a unique perspective, and he wanted to open people’s eyes to the variety and quality of wine available throughout the world " - Tim Modavi



Académie du Vin's founder, the late Steven Spurrier, wine connoisseur, critic extraordinaire and instigator of the famed 1976 Judgement of Paris, was a man who in the immortal of words of Hugh Johnson, ‘was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never stopped stirring’. Back in 1972, Steven founded the Académie du Vin – a series of classes that blended factual information with practical tasting experience, and which were structured so that students could build their knowledge in a gradual, orderly way without becoming ‘swamped’. In the 1980s his Académie du Vin Wine Course became a best-selling book. Now, the Académie du Vin Library is delighted to honour Steven’s legacy by publishing an all-new commemorative edition, handsomely bound in a linen slipcase, and fully revised and updated to reflect the wine world of today.


True to the spirit of the original, Steven Spurrier’s Académie du Vin Wine Course takes the reader logically through every aspect of wine appreciation: how to taste wine like the professionals; why the ways grapes are grown and wines are made have such a profound impact on the final taste; the characteristics of the most popular grape varieties and the world’s wine-growing regions; and last, but certainly not least, how to store and collect wine so that you can appreciate it in years to come.


Whether you’re a newcomer to fine wine or already an aficionado, there is no more enjoyable, concise way to take your learning to the next level.