What are you studying for someone in the wine industry asked me recently? I have been attempting to focus on the Master of Burgundy wine with the Wine Scholar Guild for awhile now without much success however, last week’s tasting of Burgundy wines and an upcoming focused one on Bouzeron’s Aligote have turned me into a believer that this could be the year, finally. I have always been on the side of that debate that opts for education, formal and informal. I firmly believe that at all levels of the industry from consumer to professional, wine education is a great tool in one’s kit. I think it all the more necessary to know what I am talking about when speaking to consumers, members of the trade or pitching journalists. Before I worked in the wine industry though, I felt the same way. I took many wine classes as a consumer of all different sorts. My very first were informal tasting menus with explanations many years ago when I was in college and lived in Dijon. Most people who know me think I have always been a convinced Italophile. That’s true but before I fell head over heels in love with Italy, I was obsessed with everything French. In fact, I was a French major in college. Naturally French wine was my first love. I had been looking for years to find the right French wine classes when I discovered the French Wine Society, now called the Wine Scholar Guild. I got the French Wine Scholar certificate a few years ago and I signed up for the Master of Burgundy wines but have put it off again and again.

I think education should be required for all jobs in the industry but that’s just a personal view. Whatever your level of wine knowledge is, getting more education enriches you as a person, in any field. My Dad was a consummate student of something, all the time, and taught me that lesson which I have taken to heart.