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Behind the Scenes of Wine Scholar Guild Membership

Behind the Scenes of Wine Scholar Guild Membership

We recently caught up with Justin Martindale MW, our Membership & Community Manager, to find out what’s happening in the WSG Membership program and how it all gets put together.
Beyond the Textbook: Rosé Greatness, ageabilty and cheesy wotsits with Clos Cibonne

Beyond the Textbook: Rosé Greatness, ageabilty and cheesy wotsits with Clos Cibonne

Summary: In this video, Justin and Chris explore ageabilty in rosé wines by tasting two vintages of the esteemed Clos Cibonne winery in Provence. They discuss ageabilty, quality, oak and how to spot aged characteristics in this style of wine. About the Speakers: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager and one of our in-house Masters of Wine. Justin passed the notoriously challenging MW tasting exam with the Madame Bollinger Award,
Beyond the Textbook: Viré-Clessé

Beyond the Textbook: Viré-Clessé

Summary: The 'Beyond the Textbook' series seeks to get under the skin of specific varieties and regions from around the world. Here Justin tastes 3 amazing, but very different style from Viré-Clessé. It's Chardonnay, but not as you know it... Details of all three wines can be found in the attached pdf About the Speaker: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager and one of our in-house Masters of Wine. Justin passed the
Blind Tasting: Aged Semillon/Sémillon

Blind Tasting: Aged Semillon/Sémillon

Summary: In this video we taste three exquisite examples of Semillon/Sémillon from France and Australia, each with a really nice bit of bottle age. Justin recaps some of the textbook knowledge about this grape variety, as well as the key winemaking and viticultural factors that give the wines their unique personalities. We also cover some blind tasting tips about how you might tell these wines apart from other similarly styled examples from around the
Blind Tasting: Blind Tasting 101 - Red Wines

Blind Tasting: Blind Tasting 101 - Red Wines

Summary: This video explores some of the key techniques in tasting red wines, that enable you to make an objective analysis of its quality, and also take the first steps towards identifying the variety and where in the world the wine comes from. This one is designed for those of you who don't have a huge amount of wine tasting experience and want to get to grips with the basics. Details of all the wines are in the attached pdf. About the
Blind Tasting Whites

Blind Tasting: Blind Tasting 101 - White Wines

Summary: This is a nuts-and-bolts introduction to some basic white wine tasting techniques, aimed at those of you who don't have a huge amount of prior tasting experience. Here we'll discuss some tips for how to get the most out of your white wines, and take the first steps into how you might decipher a grape variety and an objective quality assessment of a wine. You can find all the details of the wines in the pdf download above. About the
Blind Tasting: Chardonnay

Blind Tasting: Chardonnay

Summary: In this video we'll taste 3 different Chardonnays of different styles, quality and origins, and see how we might make some arguments for deciding the variety, where in the world they come from and how good they are using evidence from the glass. All the details about the wines can be found in the pdf link above. About the Speaker: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager and one of our in-house Masters of Wine. Justin
Blind Tasting: Quality and Origin in Rosé

Blind Tasting: Quality and Origin in Rosé

Summary: In this video Justin and Chris explore the world of Rosé, sharing tips and techniques around how to taste quality and starting to make arguments for logical regions of origin. We cover colour, winemaking signatures and what makes a great Rosé through a tasting of three very different wines from the south of France.  Full details of all the wines can be found in the pdf document above. About the
Blind Tasting: Syrah

Blind Tasting: Syrah

Summary: In this video we'll taste 3 different Syrahs of different styles, quality and origins, and see how we might make some arguments for deciding the variety, where in the world they come from and how good they are using evidence from the glass. All the details about the wines can be found in the pdf link above. About the Speaker: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager and one of our in-house Masters of Wine. Justin
Blind Tasting: Time to ditch the tasting grid?

Blind Tasting: Time to ditch the tasting grid?

Summary: In this video we explore the limitations of the various wine tasting grids, and Justin introduces the cross system as an alternative method. Both systems are perfectly valid, but this might appeal to you if you share the same frustrations and want to give a different method a try! About the Speaker: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager and one of our in-house Masters of Wine. Justin passed the notoriously challenging MW
Free Webinar: Armagnac with May Matta-Aliah

Free Webinar: Armagnac with May Matta-Aliah

Join May Matta-Aliah, the official BNIA Armagnac Educator who has been working with the region since 2009, for an informational webinar about Armagnac. Wednesday Feb 21st @ 12:00 noon EST May will provide some historical background on Armagnac then bring it to the modern day to discuss some
Investing in Your Wine Career

Investing in Your Wine Career

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!
Producer Profile: Regenerative Viticulture

Producer Profile: Regenerative Viticulture

Summary: Regenerative Viticulture is one of the most exciting developments in wine sustainability in a generation. Here we showcase three fantastic French producers who have taken the leap and converted their vineyards to this method of farming. All the details of the wines are downloadable in the pdf above, along with some links to further information you may enjoy. About the Speaker: Justin Martindale is the Wine Scholar Guild Membership Manager
Rolling hills of Ogliano and Collalto with clay soils and east-west exposure producing structured, aromatic brut styles.
Farra di Soligo Vineyards

The Rive Revolution: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

This short article is a follow up to my webinar for WSG of 7th June, 2022. It is primarily a reference piece which aims to give more detailed information than the power point format allows. It includes full listings of the Rive sub-zones, terroir areas identified in studies of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene denomination and lists of producers currently bottling Rive wines.
Wine Scholar Guild Launches WSG Studio

Wine Scholar Guild Launches WSG Studio

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,
WSG instructor Tanya Morning Star becomes Ambassador of Orvieto Wines
Ms Morning Star Darling is pictured in front of iconic Castello della Sala in the Orvieto wine growing region (photo credit: Massimiliano Pasolini, vineyard manager, and winemaker at Castello della Sala)

WSG instructor Tanya Morning Star becomes Ambassador of Orvieto 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.
ulien Camus introducing the WSG Tasting Lab® during a live webinar, explaining the connection between wine texture, mouthfeel, and terroir.
WSG Tasting Lab

WSG Releases Tasting Lab® - Change the Way You Taste

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
Caroline Hermann MW leading a Wine Scholar Guild webinar on the Tasting Lab®, explaining how to assess wine texture and structure.
WSG Tasting Lab

WSG Tasting Lab®: Advanced Analytical Tasting with Caroline Hermann MW (recording)

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 anything about their terroirs or production methods from this tasting note? WSG's Tasting Lab® allows you to take your