the best tasting class in the world.
Fall session in progress
@
taking applicants for January 2027
340 Somerset St W, Ottawa, Ontario
Tasting Fundamentals
This is our Flagship Course designed for people at any skill level. Whether amateur or pro, you’ll walk away with a ton of tools, tips, tricks and resources.
It is an immersive 8-week program designed to take the average wine lover to the next level. The focus is on exploring how diverse climates influence wine, through the lens of the worlds greatest producers.
You will learn how to smell and taste like you’d never thought possible!
Hosted once a week for 8 weeks: Monday evenings 19:00 - 22:00, at Arlo Wine & Restaurant, you'll spend 24 hours of classroom time learning with our team and tasting over 60 great wines.
A weekly breakdown of the program:
Introduction to tasting, the influence of climate on wine
Cool Climate Whites
Moderate Climate Whites
Moderate Climate Reds
Warm Climate Reds
Assessing Structure
Blind Tasting Focus
Review & Trial Blind Tasting Flight
8 Weeks - $1,400 ($175 per class)
We’re very happy to discuss private sessions as well, so please reach out with any questions or ideas.
Women in Wine Scholarship.
Cépages is offering a full ride tuition once a term (four times a year) to a candidate who is working in or aspiring to enter a career in wine. The eligibility is simple: woman-identifying with aspirations in the field, and a readiness to commit to the 8 week course.
This opportunity is born out of an immense amount of respect for the contribution women make to the wine community and recognition that they face obstacles in the industry that men do not. We want to help change that. Selections are made by a third party, women-led advisory board who will receive and review applications and select the first recipient.
We acknowledge that this is a small, first step toward a larger goal of creating and maintaining equity in our community. We are open to ideas, feedback, suggestions, events… you name it, we’re all ears! Our aim is to provide support and resources to people who are underrepresented and under supported in the wine industry, and we look forward to increasing the opportunities we offer as we learn and grow with our community.
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Our panel is comprised of three wine professionals from the Ottawa / Gatineau region who are leaders in the hospitality and wine business. More info and bios upcoming!
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Brittany is a passionate sommelier with over 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Having worked at some of Ottawa’s top restaurants, she brings a deep knowledge of wine alongside a genuine love for hospitality. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wine (DipWSET) and the Spanish Wine Scholar (SWS) certification. Brittany aims to make wine fun and accessible for everyone, without the pretence.
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An impressive career of over 25 years in hospitality, Roxanne is a leading figure in the wine community. Co-owner of La Petite Soif and the wonderfully engaging Salon des Assoifées, she’s at the bleeding edge of innovation in the Ottawa & Gatineau region.
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My pronouns are she/her and I live on unceded, unsurrendered Anishnabēg Algonquin territory in so-called Cantley, Quebec. I recently opened Tough Luck wine bar in Ottawa’s Chinatown with my sister and two best friends. None of us being wine experts but all of us love hospitality, conviviality and supporting responsible wine production and women led initiatives. I’m deeply committed to dismantling power-over structures and to that end am working on my sociocracy consultant certification through Sociocracy for All.
I’ve spent almost 20 years weaving a career out of jobs in myriad industries, predominantly hospitality, regenerative farming and community support. I’ve learned that the way a society decides to use land is the key metric of its health. This is one of the things that I love about natural wine, it’s a disruptive movement that’s part of a wider cultural shift away from classism and the status quo, toward a more diverse, open and joyful way of being together.
The hospitality industry still upholds so many patriarchal, racist and small-minded systems and practices, and frankly it has not changed nearly enough since I started working in it 18 years ago. I love hospitality and what it could be too much to give up on, so I’m doubling down to be part of initiatives to improve it for the women coming up behind me. I know a restaurant industry that is open, accountable and rooted in respectful land use is possible, and like most necessary change made in our world, women, particularly indigenous and women of colour, will be the leaders who make it happen. escription