A Grape Guy Courses
A Grape Guy Consulting
ELEVATE YOUR LIFE WITH
RAISE THE BAR
Weekend Wine & Beer Crash Course
Take Your Beer & Wine Game to New Heights
Because great taste shouldn't come with a side of snobbery.
Why drop hundreds on a stuffy wine course when you can learn from hospitality pros who’ve spent over 30 years in the fun part of the industry—behind the bar, in the restaurants, and at the table with real people?
Ready to Raise the Bar?
Start by signing up for the Weekend Wine & Beer Crash Course
It's your fast track to confident sipping, social flexing, and seriously enjoyable learning.
It’s fun, it’s educational, and it’s built for enthusiasts like you who want to go beyond the basics—without drowning in technical jargon.
What You'll Learn (Without the Snooze-Fest):
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Wine & Beer 101 – Dive into the history, production, and styles of your favorite drinks.
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Tasting Like a Pro – Learn how to actually taste (not just drink) with confidence.
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Host Like a Pro -Order with confidence, pair like a sommelier, and create unforgettable moments around the table — minus the pressure, plus all the style.
More Than a Course—It’s a Community
With AGGC, you’re not just leveling up—you’re plugging into a community of curious, casual connoisseurs:
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Watch our Live Educational Tastings – Sip along with us in fun, interactive sessions.
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Monthly Newsletters – Stay in the know with seasonal picks, new topics, and fresh flavor finds.
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New Courses Ahead – Expand your knowledge with new learning drops throughout the year.
What’s in it for You?
Expert-Led, Real-World Learning
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Created by a certified sommelier + hospitality veteran — so it’s practical, not pretentious.
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Ongoing Access & Monthly Events
Your journey doesn’t stop after the weekend. Keep tasting, learning, and leveling up.
Confidence in Every Sip
Know what you like, explain why you like it, and always feel good about what’s in your glass.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your skills, AGGC makes learning fun, flavorful, and totally approachable.
Take the Weekend Crash Course now—and discover just how exciting your next sip can be.
Raise The Bar
Created by Thomas Smith, an award-winning Sommelier, Restaurateur, Beverage Manager, and Entrepreneur.
Designed by a lifetime restaurant manager and owner who's also an award-winning sommelier, who began managing at age 20. Thomas noticed that the focus of front of house restaurant and bar training primarily fell on rules, procedures, side work and food training which generally left out beverage training. Most restaurants had checklist and training materials for menu items cleaning responsibilities and service techniques but totally ignored beverage, especially beer and wine selections. Even in restaurants that did give a beer and wine list to the staff to learn most of them did not have set training programs and never gave them the basics.
In working with beverage industry leaders, brewers, winemakers and Master Sommeliers alike, he began compiling their knowledge into a program that help lay the foundation for learning about the different styles of beer and wine so that any waiter or bartender could understand their foundation and communicate the bevearge program they were working with to guests with confidence.
After over 20 years of teaching this to restaurants and bars in person he finally developed his program into an online class that servers and bartenders would be able to take individually so managers and owners wouldn't have to schedule a new class whenever they got new employees.
See how this program can boost your confidence in discussing beer and wine with your customers and raise the overall guest experience to a new level in your restaurant or bar.
I look forward to having you in class!
You have questions. We have answers.
How long does the course take? This varies depending on your experience but generally between 35 minutes and an hour.
How do I take the course? Once you sign up we send the course to an email you provide. You then you can take it on a computer, tablet or even on their phone.
How will I know if I passed the course? You'll receive an email with an acknowledgement and then sent a printable and digital certificate to show off your accomplishment