Pascaline Lepeltier is one of the world’s most respected and modern sommeliers and restaurateurs. Her list of accolades and professional achievements is endless. In 2018, she was the first woman ever to obtain the Meilleure Ouvrière de France in sommellerie (this is a very prestigious award that...

Water: the source of life Since our return to Alsace ten years ago, my wife Céline, my daughter Zoé and I never tire of walking the countless hiking trails that crisscross the Vosges, often offering breathtaking panoramas of the mountains and the Alsace plain. On the days when the sky is at its...

Earlier last month, I ran my first webinar for Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) — an overview of what it means to be a wine journalist and what it takes to turn this into a viable and successful career choice. Ahead of a series of stories I’m going to be regularly writing for the blog and a brand-new...

From April 16-21, 2023, Wine Scholar Guild will land on the shores of southern Spain to host a special session of our internationally-recognized Spanish Wine Scholar® study and certification program in the beautiful coastal town of Málaga. If the spectacular weather and roughly 112 miles/180...

On a blistering June day, my suitcase rattling over the hot cobblestones, I made my way by through the village of Amboise in the Loire Valley, where my tour with the Wine Scholar Guild was about to begin. That night, in an 18th century hotel decorated in a style my spouse describes as “manic...

Curious about Wine Scholar Guild trips, dear reader? I’m no expert on wine tourism, but I have been fortunate enough to go on five (!) WSG trips: Alsace, Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire, and Rhône. Below I share my thoughts on why these trips were so great and why I keep coming back for more.

In Zen, there’s something called "Beginner’s Mind". It’s a state of mind where you aren’t hemmed in by your judgements. You are able to see the world fresh--without pre-conceptions. That’s an apt description of how I was feeling as I began a weeklong deep-dive into Bordeaux with twenty Wine...

Earlier this year, I embarked on the French Wine Scholar (FWS) program; version 7 being the latest update to this ever-popular certification offered by Wine Scholar Guild to wine enthusiasts and professionals alike. Here are my top study tips for passing the French Wine Scholar program!

Have you ever been required to give a group presentation and you were extremely nervous? You may have lost your train of thought, stuttered, repeated yourself, or misspoke? This more than likely resulted in an experience you would rather forget. Presenting in front of a group of any size can be

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of WSG Studio, a digital hub featuring an extensive collection of live and on-demand wine education content! With WSG Studio, wine students of all levels can curate their own independent learning paths to complement their studies, or simply connect to stay...

A lot of hard work goes into investing in your wine career and equally important is making sure that you have developed the right interpersonal skills or what is more commonly referred to as “people skills".

Following the WSG webinar series “Navigating a Career in Wine & Spirits”, it seems like an appropriate time to dive in a little deeper on some of the topics covered. Most would agree that there is no greater investment than the investment you make in yourself!

This wine has high acidity, medium alcohol with medium body, and aromas of lemon, lime, and wet stones. Sound familiar? Wine tasting notes can appear strikingly similar on paper, especially when tasting a suite of comparable wines. But, as a taster, how can you differentiate them? Do we learn...

It's official! We have launched the 7th version of the French Wine Scholar® program! The updated study manual, state-of-the-art e-learning modules, and instructor resources have been carefully enhanced to create the most current program on the wines of France. This newest version is the product of...

The wine and spirits industry offers some of the most amazing opportunities in the job market. In fact, it has often been said that this particular career path is also a lifestyle. Do you have the personality and skill set to find success within this field? Find out! Join Pam Kindel Connors of...

On April 13, WSG members, alumni and school network had the chance to discover WSG Tasting Lab®. This revolutionary way of tasting wine uses two distinct tasting grids and a lexicon created by WSG and wine industry experts that focus on a wine’s mouthfeel, texture and shape and how these elements...

Watch the Preview of the Spanish Wine Scholar Program, with Rick Fisher, Spanish Programs Director

Did you enjoy reading our Great Debate blog on The Language of Wine, Tasting Notes & Scores with Andrew Jefford and Dr. William Kelley? If so, now it is your chance to HAVE YOUR SAY with our two debaters. We are following up their written debate with a live one airing on Wednesday, February 23,...

Wine tasting is an unique perceptual experience which endeavors to unify the numerous molecules present in the wine (and the elements around the wine) into an meaningful representation in our mind. Wine tasting often focuses on the object of the experience, that is to say the wine and its...

This article is the first of an upcoming series by French neuroscientist Gabriel Lepousez. Gabriel is part of the Scientific Committee formed by WSG in the context of its "Architecture of Taste Research Project". He has also presented a fascinating segment on "The Neuroscience of Wine Tasting" as...