Wine Certification Courses: Wine Scholar Guild (WSG)
The Wine Scholar Guild wine certification course holds great value for wine lovers and professional members of the wine trade.
Wine Scholar Guild education takes place mostly online, though the Wine Scholar Guild also has some localized wine education classes and events, as well as international wine trips.
The Wine Scholar Guild program was created by Julien Camus. The story is very unique – and personal.
A young French citizen who was newly graduated from the Business School of Strasbourg, France, Julien was able to find a position at the French Embassy in Washington DC.
At Embassy, Julien Camus was responsible for wine and spirits as a trade attaché. In that position, he got to know many high-ranking officials. With support from the French Ministry of Agriculture, he was able to get backing for a new wine certification course program focusing solely on French wines.
In short order, though, the Wine Scholar Guild program expanded to include wine education courses featuring Italy and Spain.
This is the reason the institution is now called the Wine Scholar Guild.
Wine Scholar Guild Students from the Consumer and Trade World
So what kind of people become members of the Wine Scholar Guild?
From my experience taking classes online and attending their many international trips, The Wine Scholar Guild attracts a wide variety of students.
I have met many trade professionals, but most of the people I come across are highly engaged wine consumers.
These consumers range from a group of young friends studying a certain course together, to collectors of fine and rare Burgundy who want a deeper level of understanding of the region.
The Wine Scholar Guild provides excellent course material both in print and online. I have often purchased WSG materials to use as a foundation for other classes. Here in New York, Local communities of Wine Scholar Guild members often gather together for the purpose of study or wine tasting events.
Many of my colleagues also took wine education courses at the Wine Scholar Guild, and to this day proudly use the designation after their name in professional correspondence.
Wine Scholar Guild Membership
You will find a lot of benefits for being a Wine Scholar Guild member. One perk is the Facebook page, where students can discuss their studies, their favorite wines, and answer questions.
Another major benefit are the webinars.
A Webinar is similar in content to a podcast. The difference is that if you listen live, you can participate by asking questions in the chat box.
Julien Camus and his team are able to get some fantastic speakers. For example, the episode Sherry: Past, Present & Future with César Saldaña provides tremendous insight into this classic region.
Members can learn about Nebbiolo with Alan Tardi, wines of the Jura with Wink Lorch, and the Loire Valley from Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier.
And in case you’re looking to find “value wines” from Burgundy, the Wine Scholar Guild has you covered with a webinar presentation from Tim Magnus.
And those are just a few of my favorite Wine Scholar Guild webinars. I also liked Wines from the Ancient world from Paul Wagner, exploring Great Britain with Stephen Skeleton, and learning more about Barbaresco (from the Piedmont region of Italy) with Tom Hyland.
You can also learn about grapes such as Lambrusco and the Muscadet region of the Loire.
The webinars are a great way to expand your wine knowledge from regions around the world. Though it is useful to attend the live webinar so you can ask questions, I find it more convenient to just listen to the webinars when I’m walking around Manhattan.
Rarely do I have the time to participate live, yet they are always available in the Wine Scholar Guild library when I have a moment to hear them.
Wine Education Courses: Immersion Trips
Yes, I’ve been on a few trips with the Wine Scholar Guild.
The great part about them is that all the organization is done ahead of time – all you really have to do is show up. There are no hotels to book (attendees stay in the same hotel) and most meals are covered.
The two trips I took with the Wine School Guild were the Rhone Valley and the Languedoc region in France. Two of my favorite places. The guides were well respected scholars and the visits to the wineries well organized.
What I liked best about them was the opportunity to visit producers whose doors were otherwise closed to wine tourism, and the chance to learn about the regions at a deeper level.
During the Rhone trip, four of my fellow travelers happen to be young women from the South who were celebrating passing one of the Wine Scholar Guild exams. It’s not necessary to be enrolled in a class to take an immersion trip, but what a great reward.
Even if you don’t take the class to study the region before the trip, the WSG will give you a booklet with all the key information about the grapes and the producers.
At this point, I’ve taken several online classes with the WSG and look forward to more. The best part about them is that they are so intense, especially the Burgundy course. Students will definitely leave the class with a solid foundation on that region.
More than any other wine certification course, the WSG’s course on Champagne provided the best foundation and really helped me understand the region and its wines.
Now that other regions like Spain and Italy are added to the program.
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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
Note: I really enjoyed the Wine Scholar Guild Immersion trip to the Rhone Valley. You can see a video of it here