Wine Scholar Guild Courses
I undertook this french wine scholar in 2019, and Italian Wine Scholar (Unit 1) a couple of years ago and it’s been my favourite wine qualifications so far.
Immersive, gorgeous courses that discuss the food, history and the culture of the regions and really give you a more intimate view of what the places are like and all the different wine styles .
There are just 3 qualifications out so far (that I’m aware of) that dive into France, Spain and Italy (perfect after studying WSET L3 ).
Course Details
French Wine Scholar: set over 10 weeks (2-3 hours per week)
Italian Wine Scholar: set over 2 units, both ~ 8 weeks; unit 1 is Northern Italy and Unit 2 focuses on Central & Southern Italy.
Spanish Wine Scholar: set over 8 weeks (2-3 hours per week)
Exam format: Exams are multiple-choice and fully based on the theory and less on tasting and the technicalities, so you focus more on grapes, places, regions, laws and history.
What’s great about it
Freedom
I undertook both French Wine Scholar and Unit 1 of Italian Wine Scholar at West London Wine School and they are just fabulous. Each week we tried 8-10 wines and a selection of food from the region.
Quality of the content and materials
The quality of the online study materials is incredible. Think online videos, interactive quizzes and flashcards, all narrated and super colourful. The books are easy to read, written well and contain information in a style that you actually want to consume.
Exam
I hate exams and to be able to do a multiple-choice exam is literally a dream come true as I hate long-worded exam questions.
How does it compare to WSET?
My experience is that Wine Scholar Guild is so much more fun, it feels like a real immersive, wine lovers course. It feels enjoyable and it made me more curious about wine and regions. Perfect for if you want to study more in-depth than L3 but don’t want to take the plunge into WSET diploma just yet.
I still feel like it’s less well known than the WSET route, but I think it’s becoming more popular. It doesn’t quite have the full coverage yet of some of the countries I would love to study in more detail, but it’s got enough to keep you occupied for at least a year or two (and if you can afford to)!
Highlights & Summary
Studying Loire Valley with wines paired with oysters was one of my ultimate favourite classes, and was a really special evening. These qualifications are honestly the most amazing and fun qualifications I’ve done to date and I’m starting my Spanish Wine Scholar in October this year. I can’t wait!!
