World Cheese Tour 2025
13th Season!

Join me for an evening of artisan cheese and fine wine when the World Cheese Tour resumes for its thirteenth year. The delightful Winston’s Café in Napa will be our host for these seated tastings, each one devoted to a different theme.

I’m an award-winning food writer, publisher of the Planet Cheese blog and author of three books on cheese, and I want to introduce you to some of the cheeses I love best. Over ten evenings, you'll sample exceptional wheels from France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the U.K. and all across the U.S.— accompanied by fine wines from California and beyond. Come once if you like or choose a discounted three-class series.

We’ll gather for an aperitif and hors d’oeuvre before class, then sit down for our tasting. I’ll guide you through the selections and help you boost your cheese IQ. You’ll be a more knowledgeable consumer and a smarter cheese shopper when you leave.

Among the new class themes this year: Undiscovered Italy, in April, featuring off-the-beaten-track gems; Taste the Classics, in July, showcasing the best-available examples of seven classic styles; and Autumn Cheese Plate, in October, highlighting holiday specialties and the cheeses we crave in sweater weather.

During these lively and informal sessions, you'll sample a wide variety of cheese styles and hone your tasting skills. I'll also share tips on how to select, store and serve cheese. World-class cheeses—different every time. Treat a friend. Bring a date. Or purchase classes as a gift. Taken my classes before? Welcome back! You’ll meet many new cheeses this year.

Classes are 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Class size is limited and reservations are required. Click on the desired dates below to reserve your place.

Single class: $80
Mini Tour (three classes of your choice): $225
Grand Tour (all ten classes): $700

Cheese Trail gift card holders: please email me (janet@janetfletcher.com) to reserve a class with your gift card.

“Janet's classes are very informative, relaxed, fun and delicious. I highly recommend them for both novice and professional.”
Cindy Pawlcyn

“Thanks for a very enlightening and entertaining series. I was a complete cheese novice when I enrolled, and now I have a much better understanding and fascination with the wide world of cheese. All thanks to you.”
Ron Lee/Mumm Napa

"I have taken almost 30 classes at the Cheese School of San Francisco, and if I had to pick one instructor who I felt was the best of the best, it would be Janet Fletcher."
Michael R. Moyle

Tuesday, February 11

Cheese & Wine: Paired to Perfection
In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, experience seven time-tested cheese and wine love matches. What makes them work? We’ll discuss that, so you’re sure to improve your own pairing skills.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, March 11

Destination: France
Enjoy this tasty homage to fromage, with outstanding selections from the country that invented the cheese course. Taste the best-available versions of familiar cheeses and expect to encounter a few you don’t know.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, April 8

Undiscovered Italy
“Travel” the back roads and discover some lesser-known gems made by Italy’s finest cheese artisans. It’s a good bet we’ll have a water-buffalo cheese and some mixed-milk cheeses, given that Italy does both so well.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, May 13

America the Bountiful
Meet seven acclaimed cheeses—some established, some new—from seven states. You know about California, Vermont and Wisconsin, of course, but did you know Missouri, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and North Carolina are coming on strong? Wherever we go, we’ll taste the best available.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, June 10

Spain on Your Plate
Encounter the best of Iberia tonight as we explore the cheesy highlights of Spain…and maybe Portugal, too. Expect some stunning sheep and goat cheeses tonight and some premium Spanish wines as well.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, July l

Taste the Classics
Experience top-tier examples of seven classic styles, from Alp cheese to blue cheese to Gouda. You may think you know some of these cheeses, but you’ll sharpen your palate by tasting the best.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, August 12

Cheese Meets Beer
An evening for craft beer enthusiasts and the merely beer-curious. Try seven slam-dunk pairings and learn why they soar. From pale ales to porters to Belgian tripels, craft beers bring out the best in artisan cheese—and I’ve never met a brew that didn’t have a cheesy soul mate.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, September 9

Blue-Ribbon Winners from the American Cheese Society
Your chance to taste what experts consider the peak of American cheesemaking. Meet seven category winners from the 2025 American Cheese Society competition and see what most impressed the judges. You’ll also taste the Best of Show if available.
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, October 14

Autumn Cheese Plate
Yes, artisan cheeses have seasons. And these seven are at their best in sweater weather. We’ll sample cheeses that are great melters, some that are holiday specialties and others that scream for a glass of Port. (Port provided!)
Details & Reservations

Tuesday, November 4

Let’s Drink Bubbles!
It’s no secret: cheese loves bubbles. The evening’s wide-ranging cheese selection will prove just how versatile sparkling wine is. From triple-creams to buttery blues, the cheeses will put our three sparkling wines to the test.
Details & Reservations

Grand Tour

All ten classes
Details & Reservations

Mini Tour

Three classes of your choice
Details & Reservations

Gift Certificate

Good for any 2025 class with space available
Purchase

Cancellation policy: Reservations are not refundable. With two weeks’ notice, you may transfer your reservation to another World Cheese Tour class if space is available. If you can’t attend a class, you may send a friend in your place. If Janet Fletcher must cancel a class, students will have the option of receiving a refund or applying any fees paid to a future class.

Please check my Events page for other upcoming classes and appearances. To inquire about a custom cheese class for a group of any size, please contact me by e-mail at ContactJanet.