About France 44
France 44 Wine & Spirits Education is just one part of the larger family of businesses that occupy the corner of France Avenue and 44th Street in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Unlike many wine schools, we are uniquely connected to a liquor store with one of the Midwest's best selections of wine, spirits, and beer. Thanks to this, our students enjoy discounts on the bottles they purchase while studying with us, and can expect the same high standard of customer service and expertise our customers have enjoyed for over 60 years.
Our Story
We've always known that the key to running a successful business is a passionate, well-supported staff. That's why every team member at France 44 gets a yearly educational stipend to support study, travel, and deeper engagement within their area of expertise.
Over the years, this investment has produced one of the nerdiest teams of wine and spirits professionals in the Midwest. We love what we do, and we love sharing it with others. So, it was no surprise that we began making classes a larger and larger part of our business at France 44. We continue to offer these educational experiences as part of our France 44 Events business, with both public and private classes in regular rotation.
Eventually, it became clear that the next step was to go above and beyond one-off classes. With the addition of a new event space and classroom to our building, the time was right to begin our own wine and spirits school, offering the same kind of professional training to the general public that we had all been so lucky to receive over the years.
To offer this type of education, we decided to partner with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) a globally-recognized certifying body based in London. WSET's values line-up neatly with our own: providing wine and spirits education that is detailed, accessible, and unpretentious.
