Navigating Wine Certification in America

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Robert Ord — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 20:48:22 GMT

[mention:b160697b4b5f4a738c45d91975e95870:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] The ISG got an investment group involved who started to do a much needed reorganization (I could be mean and just say organization). They pulled out of quite a few markets because of a lack of instructors. Before the investors the ISG was behind in paying expenses and wages to their teachers. As far as I know they are still going in a smaller capacity and actually appear to be more organized. Hope they get it together. If you like I can put you in contact with one of the new investors.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Dennis Figueroa — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 11:30:25 GMT

Here is the link Ian Symonds referred to, I haven't heard much lately from Daniel...

winekick.com/.../comparison-of-wine-certifications-csw-wset-advanced-certified-sommelier

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Ian Symonds — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:35:16 GMT

Great article and to remain so objective a skill in itself. I did all my studying as a Brit in Hong Kong and then taught wine courses for fifteen years there! Now in semi-retirement in the UK I see the huge HK-pressure on locals to 'qualify'. I did WSET, SWE, CMS - contemplated MW but no more - then took lots of regional 'educator' programs. These too could be factored in? The Wine MBA mentioned in one reply was a consistent disappointment to my ex-students many of whom took the program. Their major complaint was cost and almost zero wine content; one student ended up with two MBAs! Some time ago Daniel Quaills of Wine Kick with an amendment from Antony Moss MW (an old friend I should add) put together a comparative chart with text of the various qualifications and scored them comparatively! Daniel started at CMS Intro as 1, Antony started from WSET L4 as 4. Interesting to see how they were so close. If Daniel's chart is still on line and up to date it is most useful for quick comparisons - but nothing without good text, so again thanks to Erin.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Lindsay Pomeroy MW — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 21:54:17 GMT

Good post, Erin! I did the SWE, WSET and am now in the MW program, so I appreciate you covering all of those. To your point, it seems as though we all get lumped into "sommelier" making it difficult to explain the differences to a novice or consumer. Hopefully this will help newbies and consumers alike!

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Jane Staley Boaz — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 04:11:59 GMT

Great article with very useful information. I am in the retail end of the business and appreciate the description of each organization's focus.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

William Bincoletto — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 02:26:33 GMT

Great in-depth article but just like to add to your "collection" the Wine MBA Program from Bordeaux that offers an very global understanding of the wine world, its markets and challenges that the world is now facing. The friends that have taken this endeavor have all said that it was very worthwhile but costly.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

noreen obrien — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 06:31:15 GMT

Amazing information. Thanks for the baby step in the PUSH of the wonder of the right direction.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Jodi Bronchtein — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 17:12:55 GMT

Comprehensive and user-friendly. Great job, Chothers :)

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

David Glancy, MS, CWE — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 22:56:49 GMT

Nice job differentiating the various credential options and including thoughts from various industry pros. As someone who has credentials from most of the major credentialing bodies I believe it's important to recognize the strengths of each. As I conceived, launched & ran the sommelier program for 5 years at what is now known as ICC, I am certainly a supporter of structured education for those who don't want the self-study route. San Francisco Wine School is now the largest independent wine school in the country and it has been our mission since 2011 to bring all relevant credentials under one roof. Rather than committing to a single program in the 10s of thousands of dollars we have developed options to tackle the pieces you want at the pace you want while gaining work experience at the same time. Check out "Understanding Our Programs" to see how each of our programs relates to various credential goals or career paths - sanfranciscowineschool.com/.../understanding-our-programs

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Justin Moore — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 18:45:00 GMT

You Rock! Great Job!

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Mark Johnson — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 00:23:47 GMT

Wonderful article!

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Benjamin Weathersby, CSS, CSW — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 13:08:06 GMT

Adam Arlen I'm a couple hours from you in Pinehurst (the Sandhills). A a buddy of mine who I served with in the military is a Certified Cicerone in my area and one of three owners of the 1 yr old Southern Pines Brewery. You know as well as I do that our state is exploding to the front of the Craft Beer world. The Cicerone Program is a young organization that's not known to many but very well respected in the Beer world. I believe our state will be one of the first to start seeing Cicerones on restaurant floors and in capacities other than retail and brewery operations. At the very least I am considering taking their entry level course because of the breadth of knowledge it offers. I will say this, having spoken with my buddy, the level of technical data at the Certified level is dizzying. Not just fermentation lengths and types of lagers but PSI specifications for various beer types based on length of line. Truthfully, I'd love to see Geoff Kruth do a podcast interview with a Master Cicerone just to enlighten everyone of their existence and role. These folks will be our wingmen/women in the beverage programs of tomorrow.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Adam Arlen — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:39:39 GMT

Charlotte, NC is exploding with breweries. We are averaging at least 6 new breweries opening up every year. Also, with Sierra Nevada opening up theirveast coast operations in Ashville, I feel like it is a hole in my knowledge base that CMS doesn't really cover.

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

mary ann gutierrez — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 12:31:43 GMT

Great article Erin!

RE: Navigating Wine Certification in America

Molly Brooks — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 02:55:13 GMT

This is great food for thought! I think many of us in this industry are driven individuals for whom certification is welcome recognition for working hard at something we are passionate about. However, one question I still have is if there are equivalencies between these organizations on the ladder of knowledge/information. How does the depth of the (four) WSET levels compare against those of the CMS system (also four levels)? And does each organization require that all levels of certification be taken in succession and that none can be skipped (it is my understanding that one can "test" out of some of the lower levels in some organizations).