Definition

Vinopedagogy

The art of teaching wine tasting with method and intention — a discipline that never had a name. Until now.

Vinopedagogy noun  ·  from Latin vinum (wine) and Greek paidagôgia (the art of guiding, of educating)

The set of methods, practices and approaches aimed at transmitting the knowledge of wine, and in particular the art of tasting, to an amateur or learning audience.

What the word means precisely

Vinopedagogy is distinct from oenology — the science of wine, from vine to cellar — in that it is not concerned with producing wine, but with learning to understand it, to read it, to feel it.

It is also distinct from a simple convivial tasting in that it involves a structured pedagogical intention: a progression, exercises, a method, and a clearly defined learning objective.

Discipline
Object
Oenology Science of wine, from vine to cellar
Producing wine Training professionals in winemaking
Sommellerie Art of serving and recommending wine
Serving wine Training professionals in wine service
Vinopedagogy Art of teaching wine tasting
Understanding wine Transmitting tasting to an amateur audience
Vinopedagogy wine tasting course at Sensation Vin — Beaune, Burgundy

Vinopedagogy in practice — Sensation Vin, Beaune, Burgundy

Origin of the term

The word vinopedagogy was proposed by Céline Dandelot, Wine Expert & Educator and co-founder of Sensation Vin in Beaune, who has been teaching wine tasting in English since 2002.

A French equivalent — œnopédagogie — was proposed simultaneously by Damien Delattre, Expert en dégustation and co-founder of Sensation Vin, who has been practising this discipline since 1991.

Two words, two languages, one discipline.