Have you ever wished that you could  pronounce French wine names and regions correctly, or have enough confidence to offer an opinion on wine quality "in French" to a visiting French winemaker?  If so, then French-at-Work and The Local Nose want to help make that wish come true!

There's a new French language class in Singapore with a focus on "wine-speak".  French-at-Work language school and The Local Nose have teamed up to develop a language course curriculum that will give wine-lovers useful wine language skills to use here in Singapore or take with them on a trip to France.  Quelle bonne idée!

The course will last 8 weeks, with each 90 minute lesson broken down into 60 minutes of instruction and drill, then a final 30 minutes of "practical, tasting language" learning and application.  During this last 30 minutes students will taste wines from 7 different French wine regions, and practice describing the aromas, flavours and attributes of each wine.

"It's important to get students talking about wine from the first lesson," says Clélie Kempf, owner of the French-at-Work language school.  "This will help them walk away from this course with some basic vocabulary for describing wine, and the sentence patterns and constructions to help them enjoy their French language encounters in France or anywhere!"

The course syllabus extends to other useful travel vocabulary and situations.  Here is a brief summary of the course (that is subject to some change):

Lesson 1:
Introducing yourself and getting to know each other. Intro to describing the characteristics of wine (Part 1)
2 Bordeaux wines for tasting

Lesson 2:
Locating wine regions in France  - this lesson will teach directions, location names, and discuss climate in French wine regions.  Describing the characteristics of wine (Part 2)
2 Loire Valley wines for tasting

Lesson 3:
Discussing the styles of wine produced in each region, e.g. grape varieties, blends, climate and location review.  Describing the characteristics of wine (Part 3)
2 Southern RhoneValley wines for tasting

Lesson 4:
Talking about wine tastes and preferences. Describing the characteristics of wine (Part 4)
2 Languedoc wines for tasting

Lesson 5:
Comparing wines and building on the Lesson 4 tastes and preferences learnings. Practice describing the characteristics of wine.
2 Provence wines for tasting

Lesson 6:
Ordering wine in a restaurant, navigating a restaurant menu, and buying wine in a wine shop. Practice describing the characteristics of wine.
2 Burgundy wines for tasting

Lesson 7:
Visiting a winery which will include how to ask for a printed list of wines available for tasting, how to ask a few simple questions about the production, e.g. what percentage of grapes are in the blend, how much time in oak, limited questions about the terroir such as what type of soil, if the grapes are hand harvested, etc. *Practice describing the characteristics of wine.
2 Alsace wines for tasting

Lesson 8:
Wine tasting Workshop - Practice discussing wine with French speakers from outside the class for 1.5 hours in a casual cocktail setting - French language ONLY.
One wine from each of the previous 7 regions

Classes will be on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm beginning on June 15 in the TLN office. Cost is $490 per person for the 8 lessons, inclusive of all course materials and wines to be tasted in the classes.  Class limited to 10 people with payment due before or on the first session.

To enquire, contact Clélie Kempf by phone @ 9004 1272 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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