Tasting Climate Change

Tasting Climate Change: Off Program

Image of a lush vineyard with yellow flowers in between vines. The text says Tasting Climate Change Save the Daye 23 March 2022. Photo: Randy Larocombe. Australian Wine Made our Way. Logo of a wine glass with a globe says Tasting Climate Change in English and French.

Organizers of the Tasting Climate Change conference are offering an Off Program for 2022 with free webinars as we continue to explore solutions to adapt and mitigate climate change. Visit their website to register as they reveal more webinars regularly.

Stepping Stone to Diploma: WSET Level 3 Award in Wines

WSET Level 3 Award in Wines
Date: Saturdays, March 26th – May 28th @ 10:30am – 4pm

Complete the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines this spring to prepare you for the next WSET Diploma program!

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)

The course will be delivered by IWEG’s WSET Certified Educators Kim Berdusco DipWSET, Debbie Shing DipWSET and Erin Salmon DipWSET.

Debbie Shing

Woman smiling into the camera while sitting in a chair on angle holding a bottle of wine

Debbie (she/her) DipWSET is a WSET Level 4 Diploma graduate and a certified WSET Instructor with nearly 20 years of experience in wine sales and marketing across Canada. Prior to establishing her own agency in 2020, Quvé Group, Debbie has worked at GALLEON, Philippe Dandurand Wines, Mark Anthony Brands and BC Liquor Distribution Branch.

Debbie is also the co-founder of Canadian non-profit organization Vinequity, the diversity committee lead for Drinks Ontario, the province’s trade association for importers of beverage alcohol, and membership director for the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) Ontario.

Debbie is on faculty at IWEG since 2014 and has worked as guest sommelier at Barberian’s Steak House and BlueBlood Steakhouse. She is a past judge for Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants as well as Intervin Wine Awards.

Career Opportunity: Content Manager at InVintory

Image of a cellphone screen on an application with a search bar to search for a wine. Tabs include all wines, my collection and my history. Image on the application of a bottle of red wine illustration with a magnifying glass and the text Find your wine. Search or scan from our database of 1 million+ wines.

InVintory is an innovative and fast-growing startup in Toronto that is disrupting the way wine enthusiasts and collectors engage with their wine, and with each other. With intuitive design, proprietary technology, and an exceptional team of energetic and committed individuals, we have built a platform on mobile and web that revolutionizes how collectors track and find their bottles, taking all the work out of the process so that they can back to what really matters – enjoying their wine with the people they love.

We are currently hiring for a passionate and skilled Content Manager, who will report directly to the COO, and be responsible for managing our brand presence across the digital space. This individual will be integral to our ongoing effort to build and position InVintory as a thought leader in wine collecting. The successful candidate will be a self-starter with a meticulous eye for detail and a commitment to excellence, who thrives in the fast-paced and flexible startup environment. Ideally they will have wine knowledge and be able to write credible content to interest our userbase of wine enthusiasts and collectors. As the first internal marketing hire, there is ample opportunity to grow in this role and take on increasing responsibility as the company expands.

Specific tasks will include (but not be limited to):

Working with the COO to develop and execute the overall brand strategy

Planning and developing content for our social media accounts

Writing copy for operational and marketing emails to our userbase

Developing content for our blog, newsletter, and byline articles

Writing help documents to support the user experience

Working with COO and PR team on promo events, such as industry roundtables or wine tastings involving notable collectors, such as professional NBA/NFL athletes

Maintaining the authentic and sophisticated tone of our brand throughout all initiatives

Desired skills and experience:

3-5 years of experience writing, content development, and/or marketing in digital space

University degree in English, Communication, Marketing, or similar

Wine knowledge (or a strong interest to learn)

Perks for working with us:

An energetic startup environment, with a small team

Work remotely

Opportunity to grow and expand responsibility

Health Spending Account

Salary commensurate with experience.

Send your resume directly to Yule Schmidt at yules@invintorywines.com.