wine education

A new German wine law requires coming to grips with not one complex system, but three. German wine classification is vexing: impeccably precise yet notoriously inscrutable — and bifurcated at that. The good news? Germany's national classification system was recently reformed to improve clarity and transparency. The bad? Those reforms do not take full effect until 2026. So, for now, students of German wine must master not one complex classification system, but three. With all this in mind, here is a short guide to the long story of how Germany classifies its wines. Strap in!

Zaza Kbilashvili's workshop lies in the village of Vardisubani, a short distance west of Telavi, the cultural centre of Kakheti wine country in Eastern Georgia. From the outside, Zaza’s home might seem unassuming, but once through the gate, its rustic yet elegant and bucolic appeal unfolds. A narrow path leads to Zaza’s workshop in the rear of the main building, surrounded by a lush vibrant garden, blooming flower pots, and an overall warm and inviting atmosphere.

February is still a relatively quiet time in the vineyard.  Pruning continues in warm climates while in cold climates it may not begin until March or later.  This is primarily due to the risk of winter bud kill.  Different varieties have different tolerances for cold. February, in the northern hemisphere, has historically been the coldest month in the calendar year and a cause for worry.

WSG launches “Vine to Wine,” an exciting, new blog series that will chronicle what is happening in the vineyard and in the winery each and every month of the calendar year. Nova Cadamatre, MW and winemaker, will author these authoritative and detailed posts drawing upon her studies (Cornell Viticulture and Enology graduate) as well as her winemaking experience in California, China and the Finger Lakes.Each “Vine to Wine” installment will detail that month’s vineyard and winery tasks with deep dives into a particular grape growing or wine making topic such as pruning methods and training systems or barrel aging and fermentation vessels.The series is designed to give wine students and educators an opportunity to develop or hone their technical savvy. January is a very quiet time for the winery in the northern hemisphere. It is the in between time when the last vintage is quietly waiting in maturation and the next vintage has yet to start. In cold climates, all eyes are still on the weather to ensure that the depths of winter do not bring damage to the dormant buds. The buds hold the entire shoot and cluster primordia (more on this in February’s post) for the new vintage and each variety has a different tolerance to the cold… so monitoring the risk of damage is very important.

In October, most areas of the northern hemisphere are in harvest and going full out! Many white varieties finish in early October. Although some reds (particularly early-ripening Pinot Noir) may have started harvest in September, generally, October is the month when most red varieties are picked.  In September’s post, we explored the harvest parameters for white grapes.  The factors that a winemaker considers when picking red grapes are similar… flavor, acid, sugar, etc.  However, there are two key harvest parameters that are more important (and impactful) for reds than whites: tannin ripeness and anthocyanin accumulation (color). 

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 podcast due to launch later this year (more on this further down), the webinar’s topic was the ideal means to introduce myself to the WSG audience.

Congratulations to Vittoria Mariani, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Vittoria:  Born and raised in Napoli, in the sunny southwest coast of Italy, Vittoria moved to Amsterdam 9 years ago to complete her

It is almost here. That wonderful day in March that wine lovers all over the world anxiously wait for every year. Thousands gather for jubilant festivities of the wines of Beaujolais. No, my calendar does not need adjusting. November’s annual harvest fete known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day is a distant memory by the time the real stars of this French wine region are allowed to be released to adoring fans. Though you would be correct if you said I was overstating the excitement of the annual release of the crus of Beaujolais (and in actuality most are aged longer than laws dictate), these are wines worth celebrating. The Crus of Beaujolais are stand-alone AOCs representing the region’s very best vineyard land. These are high-quality wines reflecting individual terroirs and showcasing the great potential of the Gamay grape. Gamay is one the most underrated red grapes and the Crus of Beaujolais provide an incredible value to quality ratio. There are ten Beaujolais Crus, each named for a village within the growing area. Following in succession, the Crus span approximately 20km/12.5mi of northern Beaujolais. The soils in this part of the region are largely what makes these places so special. Primarily a mixture of ancient granite and schist, the soils of the Cru areas bring out the best in Gamay. Across the board, these are structured, complex wines with spicy aromas and the potential to age well, but each Cru has its distinctive signature. The following excerpts from our French Wine Scholar® manual describe what makes each Cru special.

WSG is proud be the first Educational Partner of The Old Vine Conference. Read more to find out how this dynamic non-profit organization is actively creating a global network of old-vine disciples while raising awareness through education.  The economic and social relevance of old vines is real, but the structure of the global wine industry stacks the odds against the regenerative commercial viability of old vines. The result is that healthy old vineyards of cultural resonance and unique qualitative potential are lost because they can’t be made to pay.  The Old Vine Conference is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to bring together a global network to create a new category for wine from heritage vineyards. The Old Vine Conference works to safeguard old vines of cultural and ecological value by connecting, educating and inspiring the global wine industry through conferences, research, partnerships, tastings and fieldtrips. Old vines are officially a thing. 

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 kilometers of coastline are not enough to entice you, then consider some of the other top reasons to visit and study in one of Spain’s most beautiful cities. See more about this unique opportunity to study Spanish wines with WSG in Spain here.

What happens when the very act of tasting wine no longer keeps pace with the wines themselves? What if the way we teach tasting is no longer fit for purpose—not for students, not for wines and certainly not for the future of wine culture?

This article explores themes connected to the panel discussion led by WSG at Wine Paris on February 9, 2026. Wine is one of the most culturally rich, emotionally resonant traditions in the world. It connects people and place like few earthly things can. Yet the wine industry finds itself on the edge of a precipice. Declining consumption, shifting demographics, climate chaos and fierce competition from spirits and non-alcoholic alternatives all call wine's future into question. External forces aren't the only culprits. Within the industry, wine education itself has unwittingly become part of the problem—actively contributing to the disconnect between wine and the people who might love it. 

The Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) has initiated an ambitious undertaking aimed at developing a new way to assess wine: the Architecture of Taste Research Project (ATRP) The Architecture of Taste Research Project aspires to find a way to empower the individual to taste and describe wine with an enriched and universal lexicon that not only dives deeper into assessing the qualities of a wine’s building blocks but also into the nature of a wine’s personality and, where relevant, its corresponding terroir signature. Just as significantly, the research project aims to develop a new set of assessment criteria that uses the body’s own reflexive reactions as a tuning fork to capture a wine’s inherent signal—a message that incorporates not only sensory perceptions but also perceived energy, the emotions it triggers and evocative elements that, once again, might link a wine to “place.”

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 current in their knowledge. Building on our rich library of recorded member events, WSG Studio features up-to-date perspectives on wine history, wine trends and regulations, regions,

The Wine Scholar Guild is excited to announce the list of the 2018 top exam scorers for each category... 

The WSG Tasting Diploma is a bold, multidisciplinary program designed to break free from the technical and soulless tasting methods that are most commonly taught. It's a complete reimagining of how to taste wine. This revolutionary course will allow students to take their critical tasting skills to the next level and gain deeper understanding of expression of place and terroir in wine. The course delves deeply into neuroscience and a qualitative approach to wine tasting, with an emphasis on texture and mouthfeel. We consider many elements that are neglected in traditional tasting methodologies, such as energy, vitality, salivation and digestibility. In this article, Simon J. Woolf asks what makes the difference between mass produced commodity wine and artisanal wine that reflects its origins.

Twenty years ago, Wine Scholar Guild began with a clear mission: to deepen the world’s understanding of France’s wines through education. It was 2005, and I was 23 years old, working as a trade attaché at the French Embassy in Washington, DC. This was a time of anti-French sentiment in the US, and French wine—something I knew to be an expression of place, people and culture—was caught in the crossfire.

We are delighted to announce that our Blog was ranked #12 on the list of the Top 101 Wine Writers Of 2020 Award by Corking Wines! 

The Wine Scholar Guild would like to announce that their own Tanya Morning Star (WSG program provider in the Seattle area through her school Cellar Muse) has embarked on an exciting project with the Consorzio of Orvieto DOC, with an aim to bring awareness to a historical wine region, it’s exceptional terroirs and wines. Acting as Orvieto DOC’s first official Ambassador of Orvieto Wines, Tanya is embarking on a comprehensive Master Class project to be launched via Wine Scholar Guild member webinar, and in schools teaching Wine Scholar Guild programs globally in 2020.

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 might relate to the wines’ terroir signature. The following two wines were tasted during this exciting webinar: Domaine Marcel Deiss Grasberg 2016 Domaine Marcel