Helen McGinn

After a 22-year apprenticeship at Parish-Hadley, Bunny Williams launched her own firm in 1988 and became one of the defining voices in American interior design. She holds places in the AD Hall of Fame, the Elle Decor A-List and Interior Design's Hall of Fame, and has built businesses spanning fabric, home goods and bestselling books on design, gardening and entertaining.

World-renowned interior designer and industry leader

Course

An Expert Guide to Enjoying Wine

Learn how to effortlessly smell, swirl, swish and taste your way to becoming a wine expert with Helen McGinn’s deliciously simple guide to wine. With lessons that cover every aspect from grape to glass, you’ll discover how to confidently choose the right bottle for every occasion. Discover the wine-making process, when to save and when to splurge, how to read a wine label, what to drink with which meal, how to host your own wine tasting with friends and, most valuable of all, how to navigate your way around the supermarket wine section. Helen’s down-to-earth guide removes the complexity behind wine, helping you to develop your palate and confidently explore new wines that you'll love, on any budget.

25 Lessons

Included with membership

Lesson plan — 25 lessons

01 Starting the journey

01 Meet Helen
02 How to go on a journey of wine discovery - Part 1
03 How to go on a journey of wine discovery - Part 2
04 The language of wine - Part 1
05 The language of wine - Part 2

02 Expanding your horizons

06 The main grape varieties
07 How to taste wine
08 Where and how to buy wine
09 Navigating a restaurant wine list
10 How to read a wine label
11 How to host a wine tasting with friends

03 Food pairing

12 Pairing food with wine - Part 1
13 Pairing food with wine - Part 2
14 Pairing food with wine - Part 3
15 Pairing food with wine - Part 4

04 The art of winemaking

16 Basic overview of the process of making wine
17 Meet the winemaker

05 The best of the rest

18 Sparkling wine
19 Fortified wines - Part 1
20 Fortified wines - Part 2
21 Sweet wines
22 Rosé
23 Helen’s dream dinner party wine list
24 Organic, natural and biodynamic wines
25 Farewell

Explore course

“Bunny Williams has such a legendary eye. It was a brilliant experience to learn and understand why she's willing and indeed strives to obtain such beautiful juxtapositions of styles and periods. It's given me more confidence to seek out what I love while appreciating the need for contrast balanced with harmony.”

Cheryl Kluwe

“Create Academy has been such a great resource. I'm in the middle of renovating a bungalow with a very large garden and the courses have offered a wealth of information to dive into and explore new ideas. I'm loving Ni...”

Harvey Jun 10, 2026

“Absolutely love Create Academy! The instructors are extremely informative, and it is beautifully filmed. Create Academy is great value for money and plan on renewing my subscription yearly because there are such inter...”

SG May 31, 2026