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16 of Pascaline's Top Producer Picks in the Loire Valley

Master sommelier and Loire valley native, Pascaline Lepeltier, has been working with key Loire producers over the past months in preparation for the October 2017 Loire Wine Study Trip. Take a look at her notes on this carefully curated list of both iconic and rising star estates/producers in the...

Wine and Food of the Loire Valley

Much has been written about the beautiful Loire Valley, well known as “the garden of France.” The wine region follows the meandering Loire River more than 600 miles through the gently rolling hills of a picturesque countryside. There is an abundance of vines and food crops in this fertile stretch...

Bourgogne Wine Tour Up Close and Personal

I am pleased to share my Burgundy wine tour experience with the Wine Scholar Guild, as it was the trip of a lifetime. My wife and I arrived a couple of days early and enjoyed fine wine and dining in Paris before our quick train trip over to Beaune (via Dijon). We spent Sunday on our own, touring...

10 Essential French White Wines

The white wines of France offer unrivaled perfection. With few exceptions, every vineyard growing white grapes is so planted not because reds won’t grow well there, but because whites will flourish. France’s white wines are not an afterthought or a consolation prize. These are vinous treasures...

A Tour of Central Italian Cuisine, By Region

Recently, Barbara Philip MW hosted a virtual food and wine tour webinar for the Wine Scholar Guild. The cuisine of central Italy is as fascinating as it is delicious. This is where tomatoes and olive oil begin to replace the butter and cream of the north. Heavy, stuffed pastas give way to long...

FWS Preview Webinar with Lisa Airey

Learn about the French Wine Scholar study formats, learning tools & exam via live webinar on: Tuesday, May 9th, 2017 at 12 noon EST (NYC) 9 am PST Seattle, 5:00 pm UK, 6:00 pm France, 1:00 am Wednesday in Hong-Kong About this webinar: Find out about the curriculum and study options. Introduction...

What makes each of the 10 crus Beaujolais special - With Map

It is almost here. That wonderful day in March that wine lovers all over the world anxiously wait for every year. Thousands gather for jubilant festivities of the wines of Beaujolais. No, my calendar does not need adjusting. November’s annual harvest fete known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day is a...

FWS now approved for Singapore Skillsfuture

The Wine Scholar Guild’s French Wine Scholar (FWS) Program received official endorsement as an approved wine certification program from Skillsfuture Singapore! The Skillsfuture is a national movement that encourages individuals to take ownership of their skills development and lifelong learning....

Wine Scholar Guild Top Exam Scorers for 2016

The Wine Scholar Guild is excited to announce the list of 2016 top exam scorers from around the world! Bravo! French Wine Scholar Program 1. Lillian Lim (California, USA) - Score: 100% ''My certifications include: Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Certified Specialist of...

Jura's food and drink specialities

As everywhere, it is the nature of the geography that most influences the food and drink traditions of the Jura and Franche-Comté. The diverse landscape of mountains, dense forests, high meadows, vineyards, lakes and the river plain have all shaped what the local population ate and drank....

The Diversity of Champagne Houses, Growers, and Coopératives

Autumn in Champagne is a spectacular time to explore the region. The countryside and vineyards are abounding in rich palettes of color and the intoxicating fall fragrance instills a unique sensorial experience. Champagne is like laughter as it fills my senses with joy, especially when the cork...

FWS: New 6th Edition was just released!

The 6th Edition of the French Wine Scholar program has just been released! The FWS manual has been fully updated and reformatted into a perfect binding (no more spiral!) with: New, custom-designed maps New charts, graphics and rich imagery Need-to-know icons now mark all AOCs that count as test...

5 Things to Keep in Mind When Visiting Producers in Burgundy

Sadly, time has marched on, since the fantastic Bourgogne Immersion Trip I took with the Wine Scholar Guild lead by Andrew Jefford, October 23 – 28, 2016. Everyone on the trip was definitely a “wine nerd” but the group was composed of a mix of wine industry professionals, wine students of all...

Andrew Jefford Uncorked: Reflections on a Career as a Wine Writer

Meeting Andrew Jefford today could easily lead one to believe that he was born knowing enormous volumes of information about the wines of the world, and has always been able to explain them in the manner of a poet laureate. As the leader of a 2016 Wine Scholar Guild study tour of Southwest France,...

Bordeaux elected Top City in the World to travel to for 2017

Lonely Planet has released their Best in Travel 2017 guide about THE places to visit in the next year…and Bordeaux tops their list as the No. 1 city destination in the world! Bordeaux contains more preserved historical buildings – such as Place de la Bourse – than any city in France aside from...

Italian Trade Commission endorses the Italian Wine Scholar program

ITALIAN WINE SCHOLAR PROGRAM RECEIVES ENDORSEMENT FROM THE ITALIAN TRADE COMMISSION The Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Scholar Program received official endorsement from the Italian Trade Commission (ITA).The Italian Trade Commission is a governmental body whose role is to promote the...

WIN a Study Trip Scholarship to Italy!

Top Italian Wine Scholar student at IWEG Drinks Academy in Toronto will WIN a Study Trip Scholarship to Italy! IWEG, our exlusive Program Provider in Toronto, is pleased to announce the Italian Trade Commission in Canada as its first Gold Sponsor with the sponsorship of the new Italian Wine...
Glera, the grape behind Prosecco

The grape behind Italy’s Prosecco wines

Glera is the principal grape of Prosecco sparkling wine. Originally the grape was known as Prosecco (more precisely Prosecco Tondo). The variety has an unclear origin and an even more complicated ampelographic history due to the fact that several distinct varieties have been called...
Champagne aromas

Chemistry behind Champagne aromas

A BIT OF WINE CHEMISTRY: Lessons from Champagne Day one of the Champagne study trip initiated a discussion which continued throughout the week of factors impacting aromas and flavors in champagne. Broadly, aromas can be categorized into the impacts of grape variety, terroir, vinification, and...
Italian white grape

How to pair the best Italian white wines

Italian red wines may get all the attention, but insiders know that Italian whites are as varied and interesting as the country’s reds. Italy’s multitude of mountains and hills ensures wines with bright acidity—the hallmark of Italian whites. Acidity is what makes a wine food friendly, and Italian...