French Wine Essentials

• Inquisitive wine enthusiasts wanting to become more familiar with the intricacies of French wine
• Aspiring wine professionals
• Hospitality professionals new to the world of French wine
• Anyone wishing to become more knowledgeable about France, and its wine and food culture

This engaging and informative course will enable you to:
• Acquire fundamental French wine knowledge in just weeks
• Refine your tasting skills
• Master the essential grapes and appellations of France’s major wine regions
• Navigate the seemingly complicated French wine appellation system
• Be perfectly confident to continue your studies with the prestigious French Wine Scholar (FWS) Certification Program

All you need to enter the program is an interest in learning more about the wines of France!

By the end of the course students will be able to:

• Identify the location of the profiled appellations on a map of France
• Describe the style of each of the wines covered in the session
• Recall the main grape varieties associated with each wine covered throughout the course
• Understand how key environmental factors influence the style of the wines
• Recall vinification and aging techniques that contribute to the style of the wines
• Decrypt the meaning of key labelling terms

The French Wine Essentials program covers the flagship wine regions of France as well as the main styles of wine you will find across the country. Grape varieties, wine profiles and labelling terms are all explored. Each wine is presented within a regional and cultural context. Local landmarks and traditional cuisines are also highlighted.

In addition to classroom instruction or live review webinars, your instructors recommend that you engage in an additional 15 hours of study (approximately five hours per chapter) before taking the exam. 

You are encouraged to expand your studying techniques beyond that of simply re-reading the course book. In order to assimilate knowledge and facilitate deeper understanding of key concepts try to engage in active learning techniques such as: note-taking, completing the online e-learning modules, explaining key concepts to others and of course tasting! 

Enrollment in this engaging and informative course includes the exam. The exam is comprised of 50 multiple-choice questions and must be completed in 45 minutes. Passing score is 60%. Passing students will be awarded the FWE Certificate. Those enrolled at one of WSG’s Approved Program Providers will be offered the opportunity to sit the exam at their school. Online students will be offered an individually proctored, online exam.