Union Square | Spanish Wine Essentials Course & Certification
January 11, 2025 09:00 AM until January 12, 2025 05:00 PM
Fast-track your understanding into the intricate world of French, Italian and Spanish wine!
Whether wine professional, inquisitive wine enthusiast or energetic epicurean looking to enhance your experiences through food and wine; WSG Essentials provide students with a solid foundation on the wines of France, Italy and Spain.
About Wine Essentials:
WSG Essentials programs present the often-complex world of French, Italian and Spanish wine in an accessible and engaging way; highlighting “need to know” regions, grape varieties and wine styles.
Students explore the culture, cuisine, history, viticulture and winemaking principles behind the most influential wine regions in the world while gaining industry-recognized certification.
Not just an introductory course, WSG Essentials are a launchpad to the highly respected WSG Wine Scholar® certifications, the vibrant WSG Community and the first step towards wine mastery.
Essentials are the perfect course to ignite a lifetime of learning and passion for wine. Your wine Essentials journey begins here!
Study with Corkbuzz Wine Studio!
Our next Spanish Essentials session is scheduled to start on July 27 and will run for 2 days. Our exam will be on August 24th. This is an intensive 2 day session. It is recommended to review materials ahead of time. There will be a 3 week period to review ahead of the exam date. There will be a lunch break and several small breaks during the sessions. You're welcome to bring lunch, or there are several options for dining in the neighborhood.
Class dates: January 11-12, 2025 (Saturday/Sunday)
Time: 9am – 5pm
Exam date: February 1st, 2025 11 AM (Saturday)
Location: 13 E. 13th St. New York, NY 10003
Educator: Amber Rill DipWset, SWS, FWS, CSS
Cost: $625
Manuals will be available for pickup two weeks prior to the session.
This program includes all the necessary support and tools to understand the region and wine styles of Spain:
Our sessions will include 12 hours of classroom instruction completed with tutored tasting of over 20 wines. This course is taught by WSG certified instructor Amber Rill DipWset, SWS, FWS, CSS. Your registration fee includes:
A detailed and comprehensive 95-page course book rich with photographs, detailed and up-to-date maps, illustrations and infographics to optimize learning. The book is provided in print + e-book formats
One-year access to WSG’s e-learning platform including online support modules and interactive activities related to your course
Registration for the Spanish Wine Essentials Exam
WSG Essentials certificate upon passing the exam
To bring each region to life, you will taste a total of over 20 different wines over the course
of the program!How much study time is required? This certification has a minimum requirement of 25 hours of study time, including 12 hours of in-person classroom instruction.
In addition to classroom instruction, we recommend that you engage in an additional 10-13 hours of study before sitting the exam. The number of total hours you spend will vary greatly based on your existing wine knowledge.
You are encouraged to expand your studying techniques beyond that of simply re-reading the course book. To assimilate knowledge and facilitate deeper understanding of key concepts try to engage in active learning techniques such as: notetaking, completing the e-learning activities, explaining key concepts to others and of course wine tasting!
Class Schedule:
The schedule of classes is designed to give students the necessary time to truly assimilate the extensive body of material presented.
Who is the Essentials programs for?
Hospitality, wholesale and/or retail wine professionals looking to enhance their knowledge of French, Italian or Spanish wine
Aspiring wine professionals looking to start, transition to or advance their career in wine
Inquisitive wine enthusiasts wanting to become more familiar with French, Italian or Spanish wine
Enthusiastic home or professional chefs, energetic epicureans or “foodies”
Avid travelers
Anyone wishing to become more knowledgeable about France, Italy or Spain and its wine and food culture
Why Choose WSG Essentials? This course enables students to:
Acquire fundamental wine knowledge in just weeks
Learn about the most important “need to know” wines of France, Italy and Spain and how they relate to local landmarks, culture and cuisine
Recall the essential grape varieties and major wine regions of France, Italy and Spain
Navigate seemingly complicated French, Italian and Spanish wine classification systems
Be perfectly poised to continue your studies with the prestigious French Wine Scholar® (FWS), Italian Wine Scholar®(IWS) or Spanish Wine Scholar® (SWS) certification program
How is the curriculum presented?
To maximize learning and retention, each need-to-know wine is organized by:
Place of Origin
Grape Varieties
Wine Profile
Production Notes
Notable Producers
Essentials curriculum is further enriched by update-to-date maps, regional landmarks, topics of interest and local signature cuisine.
Are there any prerequisites?
No. WSG Essentials Wine Programs require no prior wine knowledge, only a willingness to learn and expand your horizons through study. The program provides all the tools required to fully grasp the essentials of French, Italian or Spanish wine.
What does the SWE program cover?
Spain is home to over 140 appellations. SWE introduces you to 23 of the most influential Spanish appellations. Place of origin, grape varieties, wine profile, production and pairing notes are all explored alongside notable producers and local signature cuisine. Appendices covering vine training systems, wine production methods, tasting descriptors and recommended wine lists enhance your working knowledge. Each wine is presented within a regional and cultural context while landmarks and traditional cuisine are highlighted to complete the curriculum.
Key Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Understand the key environmental factors (including geography, topography, climate, and soils) and viticultural practices and how they impact the style and quality of each “need to know” wine.
Learning Objective 2: Understand the key vinification and winemaking practices that impact the style and quality of each “need to know” wine.
Learning Objective 3: Know the grape varieties, styles and quality levels of wines produced within the designated appellations.
Learning Objective 4: Understand the basic tenets of French, Italian or Spanish wine law and recall labeling terms.
Assessment Criteria:
- Describe the key factors that influence the growing environment and climate of each appellation
- Recall the main grape varieties (and their characteristics) associated with each wine covered in the session
- Identify the location of the profiled appellations on a map of France
- Recall viticultural, vinification and aging techniques that contribute to the style and quality of the wines
- Describe the meaning of key labeling terms
- Recall and describe the style of each of the wines covered in the session
What's Included:
Coursebook
Shipped to your address or available for pickup, the beautifully designed coursebook, rich with photographs, detailed maps, illustrations and infographics contains all the information you need to know.
Online Study Modules
1-year access to interactive e-learning activities designed to enrich the study manual and support different learning styles.
Expert Instruction:
Learn from the WSG Approved Program Providers and certified educators.
Student Community
Network with the other students taking the French, Italian or Spanish Wine Essentials course, form a tasting group and build your wine network.
Final Exam
The exam is comprised of 50 multiple-choice questions. Students have 45 minutes to complete the exam. Passing score is 60%. There is no wine tasting component on the exam.
Students will take the written exam at the program provider’s location on the specified date.
Certificate
Upon receiving a passing score, you will receive your well-deserved WSG Essentials certificate, acknowledging you have gained proficiency in the wines of France, Italy or Spain. Add this reputed certification to your LinkedIn profile and résumé or CV.
About Wine Scholar Guild:
Founded in 2005, Wine Scholar Guild is the only wine education provider to focus solely on the wine regions of France, Italy and Spain, instilling a deep understanding of these wines, winemakers and their culture.
Wine Scholar Guild offers immersive, region-specific wine education through online, in- person and study abroad certification programs. WSG certifications set the industry standard for up-to-date and in-depth information on the most influential wine regions of the world through three distinct levels of study: Essentials, Scholar and Masters.
In addition to certification programs, WSG membership provides live online events and hundreds of hours of recorded content produced by the world’s leading authorities in
Cancellation Policy: A refund minus the book and materials can be accommodated 1 week prior to the course.
Register