The Independent Wine Club has a 10-year track record of fine wine programs here. Last year the club added two master's courses in a certificate program offered by the prestigious English Wine & Spirit Education Trust, reinforcing a program that had already earned the club's Philadelphia Chapter recognition in Wine Notes magazine as the "best wine school in America."
It's not unusual for a club tasting to proffer three dozen wines of the type being studied, some of them fine, even rare vintages. Members receive significant discounts on tasting events.
In its second full season, the Wine Academy at the Restaurant School in University City sponsors a comprehensive course on wines from many regions of the world.
And in Cherry Hill, La Campagne restaurant has launched a Wine & Spirits School with a full program of classes and tastings as an adjunct to its popular cooking school. The restaurant also offers students a special three-course, $40 prix-fixe dinner menu prior to each class.
An interesting addition to this year's list of wine and spirits programs is a demonstration of "natural" beer- and wine-making at Essene, the natural-foods market at 719 S. Fourth St.
Beer, some will appreciate, is more prominent on this fall's class rosters than in past years.
On a sadder but hopeful note, Wine Brats, led by public relations executive Peter Breslow, will honor fallen New York firefighters and raise money for their families at a tasting Oct. 24 at Arroyo Grill in Manayunk.
Prints of the poster "Unsung Heroes," by Philadelphia artist Jesse Gardner, will be sold. The poster features a 1990 painting of Lt. Dennis Mojica, a member of Manhattan's Rescue 1 team. Mojica was a victim of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
