The era of self-professed wine experts is long over. Professionals need credentials.
Certification is resume-building, validates competency and serves as a point of distinction midst trade and peers alike.
Both distance-learning and classroom formats are available! Students pick the format that is best suited to their schedule and their preferred learning method.
All students of wine eventually discover France. Some use it as the starting point to begin their vinous exploration while others arrive in France after having sampled the wines of other countries. There is a world within French wine and the wines and wine styles of France have certainly impacted the entire wine world.
Many reference France as the benchmark for wine production. But this is not just because of the quality and quantity of wines it produces. This long-standing reputation is due to the fact that internationally recognized grape varieties of high caliber such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are all native to France!
By studying French wine, the student gains a deeper appreciation for the grape and its travels and a reference point for Old World/New World comparisons.
Whereas most wine education organizations, such as the WSET and the Society of Wine Educators, cover the world of wine within their tiered levels of certifications, the French Wine Scholar program specializes in French wine only. This allows the student to dig deeper and cover France in depth vs. at a more superficial level.
Almost every year! The French Wine Scholar study manual is the most comprehensive and current text on the wines of France in print.
The 5th edition, printed in 2013, not only underwent a complete update, but a complete reformatting as well. A foundation unit was added to cover general French wine law, grape varieties plus viticulture and winemaking.
Chapters were added for the Jura and Savoie. The food and wine sections were overhauled to present regional French food and drink traditions only (vs. matching French wines with international cuisines).
Learning objectives and review questions were added as an online supplement.
Lastly, all teaching materials and online modules were updated to match the new manual.
The next edition will come in 2016.
Accreditation is solicited by individual learning institutions and in accordance with county or state educational guidelines. There is no country-wide or global blanket of accreditation for the French Wine Scholar program.
Currently, the French Wine Scholar Program is an accredited course of study, i.e. conferring college credits at:
The program deepens and strengthens the student’s knowledge of French wine. For those in the wine trade, knowledge is sales. Serious wine hobbyists become more educated consumers.
Successful completion of the program confers a post-nominal (John Smith, FWS). This may be incorporated into a professional signature and added to the resumé. For individuals hoping to start a second career in wine, this credential provides a strong knowledge base enabling a job applicant to enter the industry from a position of strength.
The following Inter-Professional organizations also shared resources, information and assistance:
Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace, Inter Beaujolais, Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne, Alliance des Crus Bourgeois, Conseil des Vins de Saint-Emilion, Syndicat des Vins de Sauternes-Barsac, Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, Office of Champagne, InterLoire, Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre - Vins du Centre Loire, Inter-Rhône, Syndicat des Vignerons de Cairanne, Fédération des Syndicats de producteurs de Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Syndicat de la Clairette et des Vins du Diois, Cru Gigondas, Syndicat des vins de Tavel, Conservatoire des AOC de Beaumes de Venise, Comité des Vignerons de Vinsobres, AOC Costières de Nîmes, 2000 Vins d'Ardèche, Avignon Tourisme, Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc, Syndicat des Producteurs de Vin de pays d'Oc, Inter Oc, Sud de France, Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon, Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, Vins de Bandol, Office de Tourisme de Cassis, Office de Tourisme de Saint Rémy de Provence, Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Sud Ouest, Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de la Région de Bergerac, Maison des Vins et du Terroir du Jurançon, Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins de Cahors, Service de la navigation du Sud-Ouest, Comité Intersyndical des Vins de Corse, France Agrimer, and the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine).
The French Wine Scholar Certification Program is a course of study on the wines and wine regions of France. It is an advanced curriculum tailored to the wine trade and to serious wine hobbyists.
French Wine Scholar Study Manual:
The 280-page, full-color study manual provides all the information from which the test questions are derived. You do not need to research you own study materials; everything you need to know is in the manual.
To complement the manual, there are 20 multimedia E-learning modules with full audio narration plus…
French Wine Scholar Online Exam:
You have one-year from the registration date to take your exam. When you are ready to sit the exam, contact the Office Manager, Celine Camus, at firstname.lastname@example.org to schedule an online exam sit, 4 weeks in advance. Candidates will need a computer with internet hook up, a webcam and a microphone. Note: It is recommended that you sit for your exam within 12 months of your registration. As the manual is updated very often, you’ll want to be tested on the material that you studied.
This full distance-learning study package is designed to provide you with all the pertinent information in multiple formats to enhance retention and deepen understanding.
Each program provider schedules classes based on their particular market.
Some will run 2- to 3-hour classes for nine consecutive weeks, others will do a shorter run of classes with longer hours. Each program provider is different.
No. You will take a paper exam in the classroom at the end of the seminar series.
Our instructors already have wine credentials from other wine certifying organizations such as WSET and the Society of Wine Educators before they enter our instructor network. They must sit and pass the French Wine Scholar exam with a score of 85 or higher in order to teach. (Minimal passing score for non-instructors is 75.)
Once they have successfully passed the exam, they participate in Wine Scholar Guild educator trips to France in order to get hands-on experience in the wine, food and culture of each wine region.
All Approved Program Providers teach from the same Wine Scholar Guild-developed Powerpoint presentations and are supplied with uniform teaching materials. Naturally, each instructor has a unique teaching style, the wine selection will vary by market, the class length and class structure (weekly, biweekly, weekends etc.) will vary from location to location, but the content will be the same no matter where you take the class.
Classes are offered by licensed program providers and delivered by an approved FWS instructor. The live classroom package includes:
Wine Scholar Guild-developed teaching materials are used in the classroom. They are visually attractive, easy-to-read and easy-to-follow.
To complement the manual and class instruction, there are 20 multimedia E-learning modules with full audio narration plus…
For many, the classroom experience helps to hammer home the theory; a tutored tasting component brings each region to life. Additionally, there is interaction in a live classroom environment that distance-learning lacks; many students find the set “schedule” helpful in keeping on top of their studies.
Distance-Learning students and students studying through program providers in the United States: Exam results are sent to each individual by letter by postal service.
Students studying through program providers based outside of the United States: Exam results are mailed out to the program provider by postal service. The program provider will provide the exam results to their students.
4 to 6 weeks.
No. This is an advanced exam conferring a professional post-nominal. It is helpful to have a solid, general wine background before embarking of this course of study.
Sixty-five percent, i.e. 65% of the people who sit the exam, pass it.
The Wine Scholar Guild wants the French Wine Scholar designation to be meaningful and a true point of pride. To that end, the exam is difficult, yet fair.
Yes. Candidates scoring 85-90 pass with HONORS. Candidates scoring 91-100 pass with HIGHEST HONORS.
Each year, the Wine Scholar Guild honors the highest scorer of the year with the WSG Award of Excellence.
You will receive a letter of congratulations, lapel pin and an attractive certificate suitable for framing plus you will be able to include the FWS post-nominal as part of your professional signature (i.e. John Smith, FWS).
No. Both paper exams and online exams are proctored. No books, notes, maps or other materials can be on your desk, on the walls, or on the computer screen when you sit the exam.
Program providers schedule test dates at the end of their classroom instruction. These exams are paper exams.
Distance-Learning students may schedule an online exam sit by contacting 4 weeks advance, WSG Office Manager, Celine Camus, at email@example.com. To sit an online exam, you must have a computer outfitted with microphone, a webcam and internet connection.
You cannot study wine in a vacuum. Tasting helps to reinforce the theory and deepen your appreciation for the region.
The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. Passing score is 75 or higher. Educators intending to teach the program must pass with a score of 85 or higher.
There is no tasting component to this exam. You have one hour to complete the test.
Check off the learning objectives as you master them. They are available at HERE. Confirm content retention by working through the quizzes.
There are 19 chapters in the manual. Some chapters are longer than others, but the smaller units (Jura and Savoie, for example) might contain the most amount of new information. For this reason, we recommend spending an average of four hours per chapter. In sum, you should plan on approximately 100 hours of book time in preparation. This, however, is a broad generalization. You will need more study time if you do not have a strong wine background.
Perhaps this question is best answered by discussing what you do not need to know: dates AOCs were granted, percentages of grapes in the blend, production numbers, and food traditions.
Focus on what grapes are grown where, what AOCs belong to what wine region, rivers, mountains and other topographical markers, climate types, soil types and unique grape growing or wine making attributes specific to each region.
Know your grapes! You will need to know which regions have classification systems and how those classification systems are structured, but you do not need to memorize every château on the list. History is important. Spend some time working with the maps. Know where things are located.
The online study program will soon be fully compatible with the Ipad. Currently, Ipad cannot play Flash content. As a stop-gap measure, use the “Puffin” app as a web browswer. While not perfect, it does a respectable job.
To schedule an online exam sit, please contact 4 weeks in advance, WSG Office Manager, Celine Camus, at firstname.lastname@example.org
There are three sections:
This tri-part format tests your knowledge of the lay of the land and mastery of the core facts as well as your ability to integrate those facts into a meaningful whole. The essays require more than a simple recitation of fact; they require a working knowledge and deep understanding of the material.
Candidates are given 90 minutes to complete the exam.
No, but you’ll get so much more out of any Master-Level program if you are already conversant in French wine.
No. Instruction is provided by way of downloadable reading assignments and/or a study manual plus a series of corresponding "core" webinars delivered by a lead instructor and supplemental webinars delivered by guest instructors.
All presenters are experts in their field. Webinars have been conducted by Fiona Morrison, MW, Matthew Stubbs, MW, Allen Meadows aka Burghound, Andrew Jefford, author of "The New France", Karen MacNeil creator and chairman of the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California and more.
The Master-Level programs run live periodically with students attending a scheduled run of webinars. These webinars are recorded so that students may access them again later for review.
The same Master-Level programs have also been independently recorded without an audience. These recorded programs are available "on-demand" 24/7 and are available for independent study.
Under both formats, students have access to the lead instructors via online forum. In essence, the student studies Bordeaux under Dewey Markham Jr., author of "1855: A History of the Bordeaux Classification". Students study Burgundy under Don Kinnan, CWE and former Education Director for Kobrand. Your lead instructor shepherds you through your program.
No. These are certificate programs.
At present, there are Master-Level programs for Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence. Master-Level programs for Loire are in development and are slated for release in 2017.