About Us
KZN School of Wine
Address: Abingdon Wine Estate, Lions River, KZN.
The KZN School of Wine is situated in the KZN Midlands. Based on a wine estate, it is the ideal place to extend your love for wine and experience the wine making process first hand.
We are one of only two schools in South Africa accredited to teach the internationally recognised WSET qualifications.
In addition to classroom courses, the KZN School of Wine also offers online options for all qualifications.
Our satellite school is based in Harare, Zimbabwe and is a new initiative and a first in our goal to branch out into more regions within Africa.
Laurie Cooper
Owner & head lecturer
All courses are taught by WSET accredited educator, Laurie Cooper.
Laurie is the winemaker at Abingdon Wine Estate in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. She is a WSET Diploma graduate, the Moët & Chandon best Young Sommelier 2019 and Runner up Best Sommelier of South Africa 2023 & 2025. Laurie has achieved her SASA Level 2 certified Sommelier qualification and is the chairperson for the national South African Sommeliers Association.
Laurie founded the KZN School of Wine in January 2015, realising the need for more wine education in KwaZulu-Natal. Laurie was a recipient of the Codorniu Raventos scholarship for achieving the top mark globally for the sparkling wine WSET diploma exam. She is a distinction graduate from the Michael Fridjhon Wine Judging Academy and has served as a judge for both local and international competitions.
How can we assist