Founded in 1999, the Washington Wine Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the sole purpose of providing first-class educational wine events for the Washington, D.C. area. Indeed, class is in session, but don't picture classrooms and lectures. Think raised glasses and casual, informed instruction. If like most adults you learn best through engaging experiences, the academy's programming is probably for you. The Washington Wine Academy's specialty is presenting quality programs that combine socializing with wine education in a fun, approachable environment.

Generally, the Washington Wine Academy hosts two types of programs: private events, which are customized to the needs of the client (a law firm, a company, or a private host, for instance), and public educational events, which generally cost participants $40-50 a ticket and are frequently held at Washington-area hotels.

In either event, the programming ranges from informal stand-up wine receptions to more formal wine tastings. The academy focuses on wines retailing for $8-$20 due to the many outstanding wines in that attainable range. During the former type of event, the featured speaker might speak for 20 minutes or so before participants sample a series of wines set up across the length of a table; servers talk with participants about what they taste. During the latter type of event, seated participants are first poured a flight-perhaps four glasses-of white wine followed by a flight of reds. They sample starting with the lightest and working their way to the most robust. Wines are arranged to allow participants to discern the subtle differences between wines prepared in the old world, or European, style and those prepared in the new world, or non-European style. The expert instructor talks them through the entire tasting.

The Washington Wine Academy offers an educational wine series entitled the "Up to Speed on Wine" as well as specialized "expert" regional or geographic programming. The Washington Wine Academy is pleased to work with other local wine organizations in the Washington, DC area such as the local chapters of the WineBrats and the American Institute of Wine and Food.