Wijnbrevet – I Know a Lot About Wine

Would you like to take your wine knowledge to the next level? SDEN 3 is an advanced wine course for wine lovers and professionals who already have a solid foundation and want to deepen their knowledge. Over eight evenings, we take an in-depth look at the world of wine. You’ll learn about viticulture, winemaking, grape varieties, wine countries and regions, and the factors that influence the quality and style of a wine.

The main focus is on tasting. You’ll taste increasingly intensively and analytically, learning to recognise the typical characteristics of different grape varieties and wine styles. As the course progresses, we increasingly taste wines blind. The level of the wines also takes another step up at SDEN 3. You’ll taste at least eight carefully selected wines per evening and learn to recognise differences in quality, style and typicity. This will train your senses and help you analyse, assess and describe wines with increasing confidence.

The lessons take place in our cosy wine tasting room behind the wine shop in The Hague. Theory and tasting go hand in hand, with the theory brought to life through practical examples and tastings. The course is taught by different vinologists from our team. Each has their own expertise, experience and passion for wine. This variety brings different perspectives to the course and makes the lessons lively and engaging.

You’ll learn how to write tasting notes, recognise quality and typicity, and create suitable wine & food pairings. We also cover viticulture, winemaking, wine legislation, serving and storing wine.

SDEN 2 is good preparation for this advanced course, but it is not required. The course is suitable for enthusiastic wine lovers and people who work professionally with wine and want to deepen their knowledge. No formal previous qualification is required.

What will you learn?

• Viticulture: from soil and climate to grape
• Winemaking and different winemaking techniques
• Important grape varieties and their typical characteristics
• The most important wine countries and regions worldwide
• Wine legislation and quality factors
• Analytical wine tasting and blind tasting
• How to recognise, assess and describe wines
• How to write tasting notes
• Wine & food pairing
• Serving and storing wine
• And, of course, lots of different wines to taste

Practical information

DURATION
Eight evening classes from 7:30 pm until approximately 10:15 pm.

LOCATION
Sharing Wine, Fahrenheitstraat 594, The Hague.

TEACHERS
Different vinologists from our team, each with their own expertise, experience and passion for wine.

INCLUDED
Use of an aroma wheel and tasting sheets, at least eight carefully selected wines per evening, an extensive wine & food pairing evening with delicious bites, and a practice exam during the final lesson.

COURSE FEE
€525 including VAT.

COURSE BOOK
The official course book ‘Ik weet veel van wijn’ is not included. You can purchase the book from us during the first lesson.

SELF-STUDY
If you choose to take the official exam, allow approximately 40 hours of self-study in addition to the course.

BOOKING
Ready to take your wine knowledge to the next level? Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll take care of the rest.

The SDEN 3 diploma

After completing the course, you can take the nationally recognised SDEN 3 exam (Wijnbrevet). The exam is not included in the course fee. The SDEN 3 diploma is also the required qualification for admission to the Vinologists’ Course (SDEN 4).

Programme

Lesson 1 – Introduction, from soil to bottling, grape varieties, winemaking and tasting technique
Lesson 2 – France part 1: Loire, Champagne, Bordeaux, Sud-Ouest, Jura and Savoie, wine legislation and sparkling wine
Lesson 3 – France part 2: Burgundy, Beaujolais, Alsace, Northern and Southern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence
Lesson 4 – Italy
Lesson 5 – Spain and Portugal
Lesson 6 – The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Greece and the Balkans
Lesson 7 – United States, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and China
Lesson 8 – Australia, New Zealand, extensive wine & food pairing, serving and storing wine, followed by a practice exam

Dates

Thursday 14, 21 and 28 January, 4, 11 and 18 February and 4 and 11 March 2027
7:30 pm – 10:15 pm

Please note: the course itself is taught in Dutch. The course book is in Dutch, but an English-language version can be ordered separately.