Wine Certification Courses
Whether you’re a wine trade professional, a sommelier in a restaurant, or a wine lover eager to learn more, you are probably interested in wine certification courses.
Or maybe you’re just curious about the differences in the various wine education courses and classes in terms of what they teach.
Popularity of Wine Education Courses
In the last decade, wine education programs have become increasingly popular for wine professionals – people who make their living in the wine trade.
And it’s easy to understand why. The job of a sommelier or wine professional is respected, The job of a sommelier or wine professional is respected, has the possibility of career advancement, and nowadays has a certain cache.
Because the best positions are so highly coveted, there is increasing pressure for sommeliers to receive credentials from the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) as well as other wine certification courses, such as the UK based Wine & Spirits Educational Trust (WSET).
While it’s understandable that wine trade professionals will seek these titles for career advancement, a new trend is for wine lovers to seek these wine certification courses and credentials out as well for personal satisfaction.
This article will discuss the many programs available to both trade professionals and wine lovers.
Wine Certification Courses For the Trade and Wine Lovers
Today the subject of wine is a very popular one.
And for good reason.
It’s just fun to talk about wine with friends or family over dinner. And when you read an article about wine and taste that same wine from the producer or the region, you feel as if you are physically there.
The film Sideways brought that home to many of us.
Wine Certification Courses for “Regular” Wine Lovers
The Napa Valley is one of the premium wine tourism regions in the world.
And the subject of wine is so trendy that someone in your group of friends possibly thinks he or she is the absolute expert. Wine is so trendy that someone in your group of friends possibly thinks he or she is the absolute expert.
Wine lovers have many wine certification courses available to them that are fun to take. They will engage you without bothering you with gritty details like fermentation issues.
Wine Certification Courses: The Society of Wine Educators
Highly engaged “regular” wine lovers will do well to take the courses from the Society of Wine Educators.
I have many of the diplomas from this wine certification course program (the Certified Specialist in Wine and the Certified Wine Educator) as well as the Certified Specialist in Spirits. Many of the top wine experts today have certifications from this wine certification course program Many of the top wine experts today have certifications from this wine certification course program .
The Society of Wine Educators program is intense, and students must be prepared to study very hard to pass its rigorous demands.
The Society of Wine Educator has a conference every summer – usually in August – filled with excellent seminars and tasting events. You can find out more here.
Wine Certification Courses: Wine Scholar Guild
The Wine Scholar Guild is aptly named.
Study, study, study is the name of the game, and the founders of this wine education program wanted it to be among the most challenging of the wine certification courses available.
Students delve deep into specific regions, such as Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, and more.
The classes take place online in the form of webinars that can be accessed several times, as well as other educational materials such as interactive website programs and physical printed out books and other material.
The exams have a reputation for being very challenging The exams have a reputation for being very challenging , which underscores the high value on receiving one of the Wine Scholar Guild diplomas.
Many people in the wine trade the courses in addition to regular wine lovers. You can read an “insider’s view” of the Wine Scholar Guild program here.
Wine Certification Courses for Professionals Working in the Wine Trade
Court of Master Sommeliers
Chances are you’ve visited a fine restaurant for a special event and a sommelier came to your table to help you select the wine. This could have been a Master Sommelier, a Certified Sommelier, or maybe just a good waiter with a lot of wine knowledge.
Though the Court of Master Sommeliers is mostly geared to the trade, at the introductory level highly engaged wine lovers who are considering a career as a sommelier may be able to take part in the program. You can discover the details here.
**Curious About the Best Learning Resources?**
Institute of Masters of Wine
What is a “Master of Wine” you might wonder- and how is it different than a “Master Sommelier?”
You will find many distinct differences, but the key difference is that the Master Sommelier – or a person studying for one of the 4 certification levels with the Court of Master Sommeliers – is primarily interested in working for a restaurant or restaurant group as a sommelier or wine buyer. This includes a person who works in hospitality.
A Master of Wine can fit the above description, but more often this individual works in the wine trade as a buyer, a journalist, or has his or her own company involved in the wine trade. Find out more here.
Wine and Spirits Educational Trust
The WSET is a very popular wine certification course today. Wine lovers and people in the trade are pursuing it all over the world. Today more than 10,000 have achieved the Diploma. You can read about the requirements and the prerequisites you need here on the WSET page.
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If you like this article you will like:
— Dominus Estate
— Chappellet Family Winery
— Hess Collection
— Frog’s Leap
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About Author Marisa D’Vari
D’Vari contributes to Forbes.com, Financial Times, World of Fine Wine, Quarterly Review of Wine, Decanter Robb Report, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, and more.
She holds the (WSET) diploma, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator through the Society of Wine Educators … to see it all, please click on bio
Here’s a WSET Video Link to YouTube
