Wine Educate: Wine Lessons, Travel & WSET Study Prep

Episode 130: Italian White Grapes for WSET Level 2 Students: Cortese, Garganega, Verdicchio, and Fiano

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:50 Release Date: September 22, 2026

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This episode covers all four white grapes on the WSET Level 2 syllabus, which makes it a great time to test yourself with the Mock Exam Bundle. It includes full practice exams with detailed answer explanations so you can see exactly where you stand before exam day...

129. Montepulciano Grape Guide: Abruzzo, Cerasuolo & Italy's Underrated Red Grape

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12:07 Release Date: September 15, 2026

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If you are working toward your WSET Level 2 certification, the Mock Exam Bundle gives you practice exams that mirror the real thing, so you...

Episode 128: Sangiovese Grape Guide - WSET Notes on Italy's Most Planted Grape

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 8:55 Release Date: September 8

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If you are studying for your WSET Level 2 exam, Sangiovese is exactly the kind of grape that shows up on the test, and the Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle is built to help you practice recognizing details like this before exam day. It includes practice questions modeled after...

Episode 127: Dolcetto Grape Guide - A WSET Level 3 Lesson on Early Ripening Grapes and Low Extraction Red Wine Making

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:50 Release Date: September 3, 2026

Get a free preview lesson from the Level 3 prep membership, including the video recording, twenty multiple choice questions, learning checks, and answer sheets.

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Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 10:38 Release Date: August 27th 2026

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Last week's episode covered Nebbiolo, so this week Joanne turns to the grape that shares its home turf but rarely shares its spotlight: Barbera. Grown in many of the same Piedmont vineyards as Nebbiolo, Barbera has long been treated as the everyday, easy drinking counterpart to Nebbiolo's aristocratic Barolo and Barbaresco. Joanne digs into why that reputation formed, from Barbera's...

Episode 125: Nebbiolo Grape Guide: Pale Color, High Tannin, and Aromas of Red Cherry, Rose and Dried Herbs.

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12 minutes 8 seconds Release Date: August 21, 2026

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If Nebbiolo is on your Level 2 grape list, this bundle is built to help you prepare with confidence. It includes practice questions modeled on the real WSET exam format, covering grape varieties, regions, and wine styles you need to know...

Episode 124: Tokaj - Climate, Grape Growing, and Noble Rot | WSET Level 3 Prep Preview

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 8:54 Release Date: August 13th 2026

Looking for additional support with your WSET Level 3 studies?

Learn more about Level 3 Blueprint, Level 3 Prep, and Level 3 Prep Live here: https://www.wineeducate.com/level3prepcourse

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This episode is a lesson straight from Joanne's Level 3 prep material, covering the region...

Episode 123: Austrian Wine Styles, Classifications & the DAC System | WSET Level 3 Prep Preview

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12:06 Release Date: August 6th, 2026

Looking for additional support with your WSET Level 3 studies?

Learn more about Level 3 Blueprint, Level 3 Prep, and Level 3 Prep Live here: https://www.wineeducate.com/level3prepcourse

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This is the second preview episode from the Level 3 Prep Membership, which opens on August 10...

_*]:min-w-0 gap-3 [&_>_*:last-child]:mb-0 print:block print:[&_>_*_+_*]:mt-3 font-claude-response"> Episode 122: Riesling & Aromatic Winemaking - | WSET Level 3 Level 3 Prep Preview

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 14:21 Release Date: July 30th

Looking for additional support with your WSET Level 3 studies?

Learn more about Level 3 Blueprint, Level 3 Prep, and Level 3 Prep Live here: https://www.wineeducate.com/level3prepcourse

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Joanne is back in New Orleans after the...

Episode 121: How Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Is Made - Champagne, Cava & More | WSET Study Classics

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:33 Release Date: July 23rd, 2026

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The traditional method is a core topic at WSET Level 2, and the steps of the process are exactly the kind of detail that shows up in multiple choice questions on exam day. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle includes practice questions modeled on the...

Episode 120: Côte Rôtie, Condrieu & Château Grillet - Northern Rhône Part 1 | WSET Study Classics

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 8:32 Release Date: July 16th, 2026

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The Northern Rhône and its key appellations appear on the WSET Level 2 syllabus, and understanding the grapes, styles, and wine laws of this region is essential exam preparation. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle includes practice questions modeled on the real exam...

Episode 119: The Wines of Valpolicella - Recioto, Amarone & Ripasso | WSET Study Classics

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12:58 Release Date: July 9th, 2026

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Valpolicella and its appellations come up at both WSET Level 2 and Level 3, and the different styles and production methods are a common source of confusion on exam day. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle includes practice questions modeled on the real exam format to help you test...

Episode 118: Bordeaux - Left Bank, Right Bank & Bordeaux AOCs | WSET Study Classics

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 9:16 Release Date: July 2nd 2026

Throughout July, we're revisiting some of the most important wine regions and concepts in the WSET curriculum. Each episode is paired with quizzes, study tips, and, where appropriate, essay practice delivered in the Wine Educate newsletter.

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Studying for WSET Level 2? Our Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle includes three complete practice exams with 150 multiple-choice questions designed to help...

Episode 117: Why You Can't Buy Spanish Wine at a French Supermarket - The Wine Wars of the Languedoc

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 10:50 Release Date: June 25th 2026

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Joanne heads into Narbonne to do a grocery run at the local Carrefour and comes back with a story. Two full aisles of wine, almost entirely French, overwhelmingly local, and not a single bottle of Rioja, Barolo, or Albariño in sight. T...

Episode 116: A Day in the Life on the WSET Level 2 Trip in the South of France

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 9:15 Release Date: June 18th

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If you are considering joining a future WSET Level 2 trip, or are studying for your Level 2 exam right now, the Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle is a helpful way to test your knowledge before exam day. It includes practice questions modeled on the...

Episode 115: What Is Terroir? Breaking Down Wine's Most Untranslatable Word

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 9:37 Release Date: June 11th

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If terroir and how climate, soil, and site come together to shape a wine's character is the kind of topic that makes you want extra practice before exam day, the Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle is built for exactly that. It includes practice questions modeled on the real WSET...

Episode 114: Banyuls and Collioure - France's Southernmost Wine Region

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12:25 Release Date: June 4th 2026

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Tucked into the very southern tip of France, just a stone's throw from the Spanish border, Banyuls and Collioure are two of the most dramatically beautiful wine regions in the country. The Pyrenees plunge straight into the Mediterranean here, creating steep terraced vineyards above a brilliant blue sea. In this episode...

Episode 113: True Wine Crime - The Rudy Kurniawan Story

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 13:53 Release Date: May 28th 2026

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The fourth installment of the True Wine Crime series tackles one of the most infamous fraud cases in wine history - the story of Rudy Kurniawan, a young Indonesian-born wine obsessive who infiltrated the elite world of Burgundy collecting in the early 2000s and spent years selling meticulously forged bottles to...

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12:14 Release Date: May 21st 2026

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In the third installment of the True Wine Crime series, Joanne Close digs into one of the most notorious wine fraud scandals in history - the 1985 Austrian wine adulteration scandal, widely known as the antifreeze scandal. While the headline was sensational, the full story is more nuanced, and ultimately more interesting, than it first appears.

At the heart...

Episode 111: True Wine Crime - The DRC Blackmail Scandal

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 10:53 Release Date: May 14th 2026

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In this episode Joanne dives into one of the most audacious crimes in wine history - the blackmail attempt against Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy's most legendary and sought-after estate. In January 2010, the director of DRC received an anonymous package at his home containing a hand-drawn map of the vineyard w...

Episode 110: True Wine Crime - Counterfeit Yellow Tail and the Global Fake Wine Trade

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 13 minutes 10 seconds Release Date: May 7th 2026

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Wine fraud is not just about rare bottles and billionaire collectors. This episode kicks off the True Wine Crime series that newsletter subscribers voted for, and Joanne starts with a story that is equal parts fascinating and unsettling: the global counterfeiting of Yellow Tail...

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 13 minutes 12 seconds Release Date: April 30, 2025

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Cork taint is one of those wine faults that everyone has heard of but very few people can confidently identify. In this episode Joanne finally tackles a topic she has been putting off covering, and it turns out to be one of the most practically useful episodes she has recorded. Whether you are a WSET student who needs to...

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 10 minutes 53 seconds Release Date: April 23, 2025

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Ready to test yourself under exam conditions? Three full 50-question mock exams modelled on the actual WSET Level 2 Award in Wines exam. Get your results immediately and know exactly where you stand before exam day. https://joanne-close.mykajabi.com/offers/xeXeiyop/checkout

If there is one grape that will wake up your nose...

Episode 107: Alsace - Climate, Grapes and Appellation Structure for WSET Level 2 and Level 3

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 16 minutes 27 seconds Release Date: April 16, 2025

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This week Joanne picks up where Episode 106 left off and dives deep into the grapes, climate, and appellation structure of Alsace. If you have ever wondered why this narrow strip of land on the French-German border produces such distinctive wines, this episode answers that question in...

Episode 106: War, Wine, and Identity: The Remarkable History of Alsace.

Host: Joanne Close

Episode Length: 9:18

Release Date: April 9, 2025

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Alsace is one of the most fascinating and distinctive wine regions in the world, and its history is unlike anywhere else in France. In this first of two episodes on Alsace, Joanne Close dives into the turbulent and complex history of a region that has...

Episode 105: Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris - A Level 2 Wine Student's Guide to Why the Same Grape Tastes So Different

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:05 Release Date: April 2, 2025

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLWkZH9WCxZas70JNvPzPJGSVhxiCfR48-OE0uJAI5RRS00Q/viewform?usp=header

Work through the free Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris multiple choice questions linked below and if you want more quizzes like this delivered straight to your inbox, make sure you are signed up for the newsletter.

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Episode 104: Wine Tracking Apps - Which One Is Right for You?

Host: Joanne Close

Episode Length: 11:45

Release Date: March 26, 2026

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A listener reached out asking which wine app to use, and it turns out a lot of people have the same question. Joanne posed it to her newsletter community and the responses came flooding in, with avid trackers, reluctant trackers, and proud non-trackers all...

Episode 103: German Wine Regions for WSET Level 2 - Mosel, Rheingau, and Pfalz

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:17 Release Date: March 19, 2026

Free Quiz: Test your German wine knowledge here with the 10-question Level 2 quiz! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdI2QS9k6qiBJWb-y9XoKX0DXT4nMSMaTRr1UBkXjJ7LsQsQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

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Episode Description

Germany pushes the boundaries of where wine can...

Episode 102: The 1971 German Wine Law - How Ripeness Replaced Terroir

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 8:18 Release Date: March 12, 2025

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Germany's wine laws are different from the rest of the European Union, and understanding why requires looking back at the pivotal 1971 wine classification. This law completely reshaped German wine, and...

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 15 minutes 31 seconds Release Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

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This episode kicks off a new series on Germany, Alsace, and Austria by starting where it all begins: Riesling. Jancis Robinson calls it the world's most undervalued, oft...

Episode 100: How to Use the Wine Educate Podcast for WSET Study

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 7 minutes 8 seconds Release Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

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Stay connected with everything happening at Wine Educate and deepen your wine knowledge with each edition.

Episode 100 is a milestone. Joanne takes a moment to reflect on what this podcast is, what it's not, and most importantly, how to use it as a s...

Episode 99: Moscato d'Asti - The Asti Method and Piedmont's Sweet Sparkling Wine

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 9:47 Release Date: February 19th 2026

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Episode Description

Moscato d'Asti is one of the most misunderstood classic wine styles. This lightly sweet, gently sparkling, low alcohol wine from Piedmont deserves better than its dismissive reputation. When you taste a good example, you understand just how glorious it can be.

This...

Episode 98: Prosecco - Tank Method Bubbles, Confusing Sweetness Levels, and Italy's Most Unpronounceable Wine Region

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: [Insert Duration] Release Date: [Insert Date]

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Episode Description

Recording from the chaos of Mardi Gras in New Orleans (sirens, bands, and floats included...

Episode 97. Cava: History, Grapes, and the Quality Revolution in Spanish Sparkling Wine

Sign up for the Wine Educate newsletter to receive weekly quizzes, study tips, and Level 3 essay questions: https://mailchi.mp/6648859973ba/newsletter

We are continuing our sparkling wine series, and this week the focus is on Cava, Spain's traditional method sparkling wine. In this episode, I walk through the history of Cava, its unusual geography, how it is made, and the quality-driven movements that have emerged in response to its mass-market image.

This episode is especially helpful...

Episode 96: How to Decode Your Champagne Wine Label

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:29 Release Date: January 29th 2026

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Ever picked up a bottle of champagne and felt totally lost trying to decode the label? You're definitely not alone. In this episode, Joanne breaks down everything you need to know to read champagne labels like a...

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In Episode 95 of the Wine Educate Podcast, Joanne Close continues the sparkling wine series with a focused overview of Champagne, designed especially for WSET Level 2 students. This episode covers where Champagne is located, why its climate is so challenging, the grapes that define the region, and how blending and aging shape the final wines.

Next week's episode will build on this foundation by breaking down how to read a Champagne label and understand the key legal terms...

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In this episode, Joanne Close continues the Sparkling Wine Series with a deep dive into the history of sparkling wine. Rather than focusing on one inventor or one country, this episode places sparkling wine in historical context and explains how bubbles emerged through a combination of climate, trade, science, and experimentation.

This episode is especially helpful...

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Episode 93 | The Traditional Method

Hello and welcome to Episode 93 of the Wine Educate Podcast. I'm your host, Joanne Close. Today we're breaking down the Traditional Method, the original bottle-fermented process that gives us Champagne and many of the world's most compelling sparkling wines. These bubbles are created by a second fermentation captured in a sealed bottle, using thicker glass built to hold pressure.

We begin with the base wine, fermented...

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Episode 92 | Sparkling Wine Series Begins

Hello and welcome to Episode 92 of the Wine Educate Podcast. I'm your host, Joanne Close, and we're just about at the New Year. The holidays happened, the bubbles were flowing, and I sure enjoyed my fair share of sparkling wine. Now we're kicking off a brand new Sparkling Wine Series, and friends, it's a big one.

This series is built as...

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Joanne explains two primary online learning formats offered through Wine Educate:

The WSET Online On Demand courses are fully created, structured, and taught by WSET educators. Wine Educate supports students administratively by managing registration, supplying textbooks when required for Level 2 and above, and coordinating exam scheduling after course completion. These courses are designed for learners who prefer complete schedule flexibility and self-paced study without a...