Become a Credentialed California Wine Expert in Three Days
San Francisco, Calif. (October 8, 2014) - San Francisco Wine School challenges the next generation of wine experts in the Los Angeles area with the first and only professional credential program on California wine: The California Wine Appellation Specialist® certification, CWAS® for short. Typically taught as a nine-week course in the San Francisco Bay Area, by popular demand, the California Wine Appellation Specialist® program will be presented in Pasadena as a 3-Day Intensive.
Which wine region is ten times the size of Napa Valley, with more than 600 mostly-boutique wineries? Which wine country is known for its “cowboy” wines? Where’s the Blue Grand Canyon and what does it have to do with wine? Which wine region is just 10 minutes from Silicon Valley? Which California AVA has significant plantings of old vine Negrette? What winery is the source of nearly 80% of all California Chardonnay from every region in the state?
“Italy and France both have internationally recognized certification programs to drive interest and celebrate the nuances of their wine regions,” notes David Glancy, the founder of San Francisco Wine School, and CWAS® instructor. Glancy is one of only twelve people in the world to hold both a revered Master Sommelier diploma and a Certified Wine Educator credential.
“Competition among the world’s wines is only getting more intense,” Glancy warns. “If wine professionals don’t have a way to specialize in California wine, they cannot tell the whole story of California’s diverse range of climates, grape varieties, and wine styles.”
To tap into growing consumer demand for detailed insights and help wine professionals who sell California wine compete with imports, Glancy pioneered CWAS® as a deep-dive into all of California’s wine regions and AVAs. The unique program, which features guided blind tasting of more than 60 wines, has already earned the support of Wine Institute and Grower / Vintner associations throughout the state.
Over three days, the CWAS® program immerses attendees into Mendocino County, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Santa Cruz, San Francisco Bay, the Delta, Lake County, the Sierra Foothills, Monterey and San Benito, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and beyond.
Topics also covered are:
Identification and interpretation of US and California wine laws
Discussion of California wine history and its impact on today’s American Viticultural Areas
Detailed investigation of California’s wine production
Examination of the various climates, soils, grapes, and wineries of each region that make it distinctive to the California wine landscape
The Intensive will feature industry guest instructor Chris Miller, MS, who won the title of Best Young Sommelier in the World while running Wolfgang Puck’s award-winning Spago Beverly Hills. Chris now consults for restaurant and hospitality groups in California and Nevada. Special guests also include Wes Hagen, winemaker at Clos Pépé Vineyards, recently named one of the top 100 most influential winemakers in the US by Decanter Magazine, and author of three Santa Barbara AVAs, and Clarissa Nagy, Winemaker for Riverbench Vineyard and Winery in Santa Maria Valley.
The CWAS® 3-Day Intensive will take place November 7-9 at Courtyard Los Angeles Pasadena/Old Town, 180 N. Fair Oaks, Pasadena, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Daily breakfast and lunch are included, and a Saturday tasting dinner at The Royce with David Glancy is available for an additional charge. The CWAS® credential exam will be available online following the program. Students who achieve a passing exam score will be designated California Wine Appellation Specialists® and granted the use of the post-nominal CWAS. The program fee is $1,495. Installment plans are available.
In addition to the 3-Day Intensive, CWAS® is taught year-round as a 9-Week Credential Program in South San Francisco and online in San Francisco Wine School’s virtual classroom. See CWAS® for more details; registration information is at CWAS® 3-Day Intensive.
About San Francisco Wine School
We strongly believe that education propels everyone to greater success. At San Francisco Wine School, our mission is to breathe new energy into the world of wine education by teaching only the wine topics and credential programs that best prepare students for success, no matter what their career path. We strive to offer programs that are relevant to everyone, from students newly embarked on their discovery of wine, to advanced wine professionals already successfully established in the business.
Inspired educational programs are taught by industry-leading instructors and feature the best content in the business: expert course materials, carefully conceived wine flights, and signature blind tastings designed to engage students, illuminate course content and enhance learning. Rigorous wine programs not only aid in credential exam preparation, but foster an in-depth understanding of wine types and world appellations and with that, a profound appreciation of the subject.
San Francisco Wine School launched the California Wine Appellation Specialist® (CWAS) credential, the first ever, in-depth California professional credential program, and Somm Essentials, a 40-hour intensive for the beverage and hospitality industries, while bringing together under one roof all of the credentials most important to wine professionals.
For more information, visit San Francisco Wine School at www.sfwineschool.com and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp and Twitter.
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