Wine Scholar Guild launches Spanish programme

The Wine Scholar Guild, a wine education company set up by Julien Camus, is to launch a Spanish Wine Scholar programme in January due to global demand.

Headed up by US-based Spanish wine expert Rick Fisher, who has Catalan heritage, the study guide has been developed by Fisher over the past year and will include maps designed by English wine educator Quentin Sadler.

The aim is to go beyond what’s offered during the WSET Diploma course on Spanish wine for students seeking more in-depth knowledge.

“Spanish Wine Scholar is the most advanced and comprehensive specialisation study programme on Spanish wine bar none,” Wine Scholar Guild founder, Julien Camus, told db.

Study manuals are slated to be sent out to approved wine educators around the world in January, and the first courses are due to take place next summer.

Among the focus chapters are ‘green Spain’, Rioja, Cataluña, the Levante, Andalusía and the Islands.

“With the current revival and heightened interest in the wines of Spain, people are thirsty for more in-depth information on Spanish wine.

“I can’t get enough of Spain, and this is a great opportunity for me to provide others with much-needed information on some of the best wines the world has to offer,” Fischer said.

The Wine Scholar Guild already offers a comprehensive French Wine Scholar course, which is taught by associated wine schools around the world, including the West London Wine School in Fulham, run by wine educator Jimmy Smith.

It also offers an Italian Scholar course. All are open to both wine professionals and amateurs keen to go deeper into certain aspects of wine.

The guild works with an international network of providers with wine certification programnes in place at 50 schools in 20 countries across 5 continents.

Keen to be hands on, in addition to classroom lessons, the guild offers tutored tastings, webinars hosted by experts in specific fields, from Champagne to the Loire, and study trips to regions like Burgundy and the Rhône Valley.

So far, over 1,100 students have graduated from the French Wine Scholar programme.

Among the educators working with the guild are Richard Bampfield MW, Andrew Jefford, Champagne expert Essi Avellan, Gerard Basset MW MS, Olivier Humbrecht MW and New York-based sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier MS.

“We complement rather than compete with the WSET, and are targeting students looking for more depth on specific subjects relating to wine. We have a lot of Master of Wine students on our programmes,” Camus told db.

For those keen to really drill down into a specific region, the guild also offers ‘Regional Master’ programmes focusing on Champagne, Provence, Bordeaux, Burgungy, the Languedoc and the Rhône. It is currently developing a series of Regional Master courses for Italian wine.