The French Wine Society proudly announces two webinars by acclaimed book author Dewey Markham, Jr. on March 15^th and March 22^nd.

"Education is the cornerstone of wine appreciation. With the French Wine Scholar study and certification program, the French Wine Society provides priceless support to the trade and consumers alike. We cannot thank them enough for their total dedication and enduring commitment."

Xavier Barlier, VP Marketing & Communication

About Maisons Marques & Domaines:

Maisons Marques & Domaines USA Inc. was founded in 1987 as the U.S. sales and marketing arm for Champagne Louis Roederer and its California winery, Roederer Estate.

Today, the company has grown into a well-respected niche-marketer and importer of family-owned, prestigious producers. From France to Portugal, Italy to Spain, and California to South Africa; Maisons Marques & Domaines represents some of the most highly esteemed properties in the world.

Several of the wineries represented by Maisons Marques & Domaines (MMD USA) are owned by the House of Louis Roederer, including Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars, Porto Adriano Ramos-Pinto, Champagne Deutz, Delas Frères, and the Bordeaux properties of Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Château de Pez, Château Haut-Beauséjour and Domaines Ott. Others, such as a selection of the Châteaux from Etablissements Jean- Pierre Moueix, the wines of Dominus and Napanook in Napa Valley, Château Loudenne, Baron de Ladoucette, Domaines Schlumberger, Agricola Querciabella and Pio Cesare of Italy, Marqués de Murrieta of Spain, Meerlust and Distell wines of South Africa and Maisons Marques & Domaines' own proprietary Carpe Diem wines from the Edna Valley, are represented in the U.S. on an exclusive basis.

Maisons Marques & Domaines has additionally entered into a preferred partnership with Château Cos d'Estournel and Château Hosanna on a non-exclusive basis.

More about MMD at: http://www.mmdusa.net

Marc Hazur, FWS and Kirra Barnes, FWS from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board are now teaching the French Wine Scholar program in-house for PLCB employees.

The French Wine Society is proud to have them as part of our instructor network  and delighted that they have so many Francophiles among their ranks. Study guides have been sent; update to follow!

The French Wine Society now offers an 8-month interactive on-line French Wine Scholar program that puts wine study into a measurable, meaningful format designed for maximum retention of content and ease of use.
 
The on-line modules are designed to serve as a study assist to the 250-page, full-color French Wine Scholar study manual which is linked to the trade-oriented FWS certification exam. But testing is optional.  The on-line modules can also be enjoyed by wine aficionados and wine hobbyists who simply wish to study wine for personal edification. The curriculum is endorsed by the National French Wine Office.
 
The FWS On-Line Study program provides viable distance-learning for large wine networks as well as individual advanced students of wine.

For more information and registration, please click HERE.

The video recording of Our "Chateauneuf Part 1" webinar is now available online for members of the FWS HERE.

You may also retrieve the recording of our Armagnac webinar on the same page.

Santé!

Last week, we announced you that the Wine House was now offering the French Wine Scholar study and certification program in Los Angeles. Their spring session has now reached full capacity!

This week, we are pleased to announce that the Midwest Wine School will offer the program in Chicago starting February 20 through March 13, 2010.

Classes will be hosted at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) on consecutive Saturdays. They will be instructed by Jessica Bell, FWS.

FWS exam schedule:

- Saturday, March 27, 2009, 12:00 PM in Chicago
- Sunday, March 28, 2009, 2:00 PM in Milwaukee

Independent exam sits or re-takes can be coordinated by emailing:
lairey@frenchwinesociety.org

The French Wine Society has received support from the BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne) to develop and launch the Master-Level study program on the wines of Burgundy.

Look for the study manual release in the spring of 2010. Testing and master-level classes to follow.

We are proud and appreciative of the endorsement from Robert Kacher Selections: 

"Education is sales. I fully embrace this program. It is significant in its depth and breadth. I have been involved in French wines for a long time and am delighted to see such an educational initiative finally materialize. It is long over-due"
Robert Kacher, Robert Kacher Selections

"We recognize that education is key to the continued success of French wines in the US: we have ourselves contributed to raising the level of knowledge of the average wine consumer, but the French Wine Society"s French Wine Scholar certification program can become a major credential for the wine industry as a whole. We want to encourage them in continuing their endeavor, and pledge our total collaboration for the future."
Antoine Songy, President, Robert Kacher Selections

Signature Robert Kacher Selection wines are typically estate-grown and exude authenticity. The portfolio includes Domaine Ehrhart, André Brunel, Domaine du Pouy, Domaine du Tariquet, Domaine Marc Morey, Domaine Bertrand Ambroise, and Domaine Albert Morot.

Starting January 16th 2010, the Wine House will be the first west coast school to offer the French Wine Scholar seminar series & exam.

Cost: $695, including classes, wines, study manual and exam registration.
Location: Addie"s Place at the Wine House, 2311 Cotner Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Class Contact: James King, FWS, 310-479-3731 or jking@winehouse.com

The French Wine Society launched the official testing and certification programs for French Wine Scholar and Master-Level candidates at its 2009 October conference at the French Embassy in Washington D.C.

A total of 38 individuals sat for their French Wine Scholar post-nominal in a certification program that is fully endorsed by the National French Wine Office: 15 passed, 10 with a score of 80 or above which qualifies them to teach the FWS program to trade.

Master-Level exams were available for Rhône and Provence and were vetted and endorsed by Inter- Rhône and the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence respectively. Thirteen people passed the Rhône Master-Level exam, ten with a score of 80 or higher. Ten individuals passed the Provence Master-Level exam; eight with a score of 80 or higher. Scoring above an 80 on a Master-Level exam enables those individuals to teach the Master-Level program to trade.

Top Scorers:

French Wine Scholar Exam: Christine Page, FWS, Owner, Renaissance Retail Shop, Indiana, with a score of 93.

Rhône Master Level Exam: Julie Dalton, FWS, Sommelier at Ranazul, Maryland with a score of 94

Provence Master Level Exam: Ellen Kirsh, Independent Wine Educator, Wine Matters, District of Columbia, with a score of 95

All three individuals receive a complimentary conference registration to the next French Wine Society conference. Congratulations!

Over five hundred bottles of wine were opened at the French Wine Society Conference, held Oct. 4-7 at the French Embassy in Washington D.C...and only 4 were affected by TCA, commonly referred to as "cork taint".

"The numbers are pretty impressive," states French Wine Society Education Director, Lisa M. Airey. "Obviously, we are seeing a very positive upswing in the soundness of natural cork."

"It's nice to see the cork industry turn around a problem so completely...so resolutely" states Julien Camus, French Wine Society President, referring to a time when too many wines were affected with a wet basement, wet newspaper aroma most often stemming from the interaction of natural molds growing on cork bark and elements within the cork production process. "The problem made many producers turn to synthetic corks or screw caps...but four tainted bottles out of 501...those are pretty good odds...especially since we poured some older vintages such as 1964 Maury, 1990 Rivesaltes, and 1998 Vin Jaune."

"We hope to invite a spokesperson from the cork industry to address TCA and the integrity of natural cork at our next conference," continues Lisa. "There was a message in the bottles we opened this year. Far too many people consider any off-aroma present in wine to be TCA. They claim the wine is ‘corked'. This is unfair...and it's time to set the record straight."

We are pleased to release our 250 page, full-color French Wine Scholar Study Manual!

The French Wine Academy Scholar-Level program is a U.S.  industry-endorsed and Wines of France-endorsed wine study program for trade. 

Advanced students of wine and wine professionals who follow this in-depth curriculum on the wines of France and pass the exam, earn the French Wine Scholar (FWS) post-nominal.

You can order your manual and register for the first exam. The first exam will be offered on October 5, 2009 as part of the French Wine Society Conference!

The French Wine Society sent eleven wine educators to France for Master-Level training in the wines of the Rhône Valley, June 7-13, 2009 as part of their newly initiated Study Abroad Program.

The group was hosted by Inter-Rhône and enjoyed an educational program incorporating lectures and tutored tastings, winery visits, and grower-led vineyard hikes and focusing on every aspect of growing grapes and making wine in the Northern and Southern Rhône.

The following individuals are now accredited by the French Wine Society and Inter- Rhône as French Wine Academy Master-Level Rhône Instructors:

Jessica Bell, Midwest Wine School, Chicago, IL
Pam Connors, Glazer’s, New Orleans, LA
Annette Hanami, Wine Muse, Napa, CA
Hoke Harden, CSS, CSW, Elixir Vitae Wine & Spirits Consultants, Sonoma, CA
James King, Wine House, Los Angeles, CA
Deborah Lazear, CSW, San Diego University, San Diego, CA
Jo-Ann Ross, CSW, Adventure Wine, Boston, MA
Sheral Schowe, CWE, Utah Wine School, Salt Lake City, UT