Keep Things Fun

Three women sitting on couch together smiling and holding glasses of red wine. The woman in the middle is holding up a WSET tasting sheet.

However much you love wine, learning how to taste and describe it confidently takes time and practice. But wine tasting should never be a chore! Here are a few ways to keep the fun of wine tasting alive while honing your palate. Learn more.

Starting Soon: WSET Level 2 Award in Wines

Woman with a grey plaid blazer over her shoullders looking down and smelling a glass of white wine

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines is an intermediate-level course is for those entering a profession in the wine industry as well as for enthusiasts who wish to broaden their knowledge in a structured way. You’ll gain knowledge of the principal and regionally important grape varieties of the world, the regions in which they are grown and the styles of wine they produce. Through a combination of tasting and theory, you’ll explore the factors that impact style and quality and learn how to describe these wines with confidence.

You’ll learn:

  • How to taste and describe wine using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine®(SAT)
  • How environmental factors, grape-growing, winemaking and maturation options influence the style and quality of wines made from eight principal grape varieties
  • The style and quality of wines
  • How grape varieties and winemaking processes influence key styles 
  • Key labelling terms used to indicate origin, style and quality
  • Principles and processes involved in the storage and service of wine
  • Principles of food and wine pairing

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
Date: Saturdays, March 4th – March 25th at 9:30am – 4:30pm
Register Now!

Become a French Wine Scholar

Sign up for the French Wine Scholar course by March 22nd with the coupon code fws0323 to save $150 at checkout. Limited quantities available.

The French Wine Scholar is an in-depth specialist certification focused on the diverse wines and wine regions of France. It is designed by the Wine Scholar Guild to provide current, accurate information on all of the wine regions of France and validate proficiency in the wines and wine regions of France.

This 20-hour course provides detailed coverage of French AOC wines, as well as an introduction to French history, geography, viticulture and winemaking.

This globally recognized course includes a brand new textbook that was co-authored by Nancy Reynolds DipWSET. Nancy is IWEG’s lead Wine Scholar Guild instructor and will be teaching some of the French Wine Scholar classes.

You will:

  • Develop specialist knowledge of the AOC wines of Alsace, Champagne, Jura, Savoie, Burgundy, Loire, Bordeaux, Rhône, Languedoc, Roussillon, Southwest France, Provence and Corsica
  • Appreciate the cultural context of French wine
  • Consider the vineyard and winery factors that contribute to wine styles
  • Taste a range of French wines

The course is taught by authorized Wine Scholar Guild instructors Nancy Reynolds DipWSET, Caitlin Ferguson DipWSET and Danielle Chandler.

French Wine Scholar 
Date: Thursdays, March 23rd – May 18th at 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Register Now!

A Deeper Understanding of Wine

Bottle of port wine on a white tray with four glasses and keys.

The WSET Level 3 Award in Wines is an advanced-level course is for industry professionals as well as dedicated enthusiasts who want to develop a broader and deeper understanding of wine.

You’ll have a thorough understanding of grape growing and wine making and the factors that account for the style, quality and price of the principal still, sparkling and fortified wines of the world. You’ll learn how to use your tasting notes to make objective conclusions on a wine’s style, quality and readiness for drinking.

This 40-hour course provides in-depth and detailed understanding of how human and natural factors in vineyard and winery affect wine style, quality and price. It further develops systematic tasting and description skills. Expect to spend 50 hours of preparation and review outside of the classroom.

You’ll learn:

  • Grape varieties, wines and wine-growing regions in detail
  • The key factors in the production of wine: location, grape growing, winemaking, maturation and bottling
  • How these key factors influence the key characteristics of the principal still wines, sparkling wines and fortified wines of the world
  • How to apply your understanding to explain wine style and quality
  • How to make appropriate wine recommendations
  • How to taste wines, describe their characteristics and evaluate their quality, using the WSET Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine® (SAT)

WSET Level 3 Award in Wines – condensed 

Date: Saturdays, April 15th – June 3rd at 10:30am – 4pm
Register Now!

The Effects of COVID-19 Infection on Wine Professionals

Theodore Witek is an IWEG WSET Diploma candidate and Professor and Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto. He is conducting a brief and confidential survey study on COVID-19 impact on sensory effects in wine professionals:

The loss of alterations of taste and smell is highly prevalent in patients with COVID-19 infection, with 40-50 per cent of individuals on average reporting these symptoms worldwide. While sensory dysfunction induces fear and concern among the general population, the consequences are far more relevant for wine professionals who solely rely on these senses for their careers.

The purpose of this study is to examine the sensory impacts (taste and smell) of COVID-19 infection among wine professionals to identify potential trends and patterns in participants’ demographics, clinical features, sensory characteristics, and impacts on professional life.

Please consider assisting the understanding of COVID-19 infection on the sensory system we use in evaluating and enjoying our wine.

Any wine professional who tested positive for COVID-19 may participate. If you were not infected with COVID-19 but know a wine professional who has, please forward this invitation.

Click here to participate in the survey.

Confidentiality
The only people who will have access to the research data are the principal investigator and coinvestigators. Results will be published in pooled (aggregate) format. Anonymity is guaranteed since participants are not being asked to provide their names or any identifying information. Participant data collected from surveys that are transferred to the digital data collection documents will be secured in an encrypted digital file within password-protected folders. To guarantee the highest confidentiality of data when sharing files between the investigators, Microsoft 365, which is a highly secure file-sharing infrastructure, will be used. File and data transmission via Microsoft 365 digital-sharing platform will be restricted only to the investigators. As noted, data collected from the participant survey questionnaire will be entered into the digital data collection documents. The participant data contained in the digital data collection documents will be represented using letter codes for ease of storage, handling, review, and analysis. Data shared between the investigators will ensure the protection of the privacy of subjects and maintain the confidentiality of data. The data collected from the surveys and interviews will be stored for 5-years at which time they will be removed from Microsoft 365 digital-sharing platform and all devices. To ensure all data are removed on all platforms following the study, a global search of the files on all Microsoft 365 accounts and devices will be conducted.