French Wine Essentials

WSG Essentials programs present the often-complex world of French, Italian or Spanish wine in an accessible and engaging way; highlighting “need to know” regions, grape varieties and wine styles.

Students explore the culture, cuisine, history, viticulture and winemaking principles behind the most influential wine regions in the world while gaining industry-recognized certification.

Not just an introductory course, WSG Essentials are a launchpad to the highly respected WSG Wine Scholar® certifications.

Essentials are the perfect course to ignite a lifetime of learning and passion for wine.

Your wine Essentials journey begins here!

France is home to almost 400 wine appellations. FWE Essentials introduces you to the most important regions and styles of wine found across the country. Place of origin, grape varieties, wine profile, production and pairing notes are all explored alongside notable producers and local signature cuisine. Appendices covering vine training systems, wine production methods, tasting descriptors and recommended wine lists enhance your working knowledge. Each wine is presented within a regional and cultural context while landmarks and traditional cuisine are highlighted to complete the curriculum.

The format of WSG courses is quite different to other wine education courses.  There is a rich online resource area that allows students to study ahead of the classroom sessions. You get access to this portal one month before the classroom session and you keep it for one year after the date of the course.

You will also receive the fantastic French Wine Essentials coursebook one month before the course starts.  Shipped to your address, the beautifully designed coursebook, rich with photographs, detailed maps, illustrations and infographics contains all the information you need to know.

To download the complete specification of this fantastic course, click here.

Because there is the opportunity to study at home before the classroom sessions, for the first time we are running this course as an intensive weekend event. Ideal if you want to “make a weekend of it” in the beautiful market town of Shrewsbury and accelerate your knowledge of French wine.

Our course will be run in the beautiful boutique Lion & Pheasant Hotel and a special dinner, bed and breakfast package is available if you're coming to Shrewsbury and staying over.  Contact the hotel directly via email or telephone  01743 770345 for more details.

The content of the weekend is as follows:

Session 1 - Friday evening 7.00pm-9.30pm

• Introduction to French Wine
• Sparkling Wines - Champagne AOC & Cremant

Session 2 – Saturday morning 10.30am-1.00pm

• Northern France – Alsace & Loire Valley

Lunch

• 2-course lunch in the Lion and Pheasant restaurant (included in the course fee)

Session 3 – Saturday afternoon 2.30pm-5.00pm

• Central France – Bourgogne, Beaujolais, Bordeaux

Session 4 – Sunday morning 10.30am-1.00pm

• Southern France – Rhône Valley, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon

Short break

Session 5 – Sunday afternoon 1.45-2.30pm

• Multiple choice exam, 50 questions in 45 minutes.

Tasting around 25 wines over 4 classroom sessions, your experienced tutor will lead you through presentations that reinforce the online portal resource and coursebook content. Although there is an exam at the end of the course, its a lot of fun tasting and talking about some of the best wines in the world!

About Wine Scholar Guild

Founded in 2005, Wine Scholar Guild is the only wine education provider to focus solely on the wine regions of France, Italy and Spain, instilling a deep understanding of these wines, winemakers and their culture.

Wine Scholar Guild offers immersive, region-specific wine education through online, in-person and study abroad certification programs. WSG certifications set the industry standard for up-to-date and in-depth information on the most influential wine regions of the world through three distinct levels of study: Essentials, Scholar and Masters.

In addition to certification programs, WSG membership provides live online events and hundreds of hours of recorded content produced by the world’s leading authorities in wine.

Shropshire Wine School are proud to be one of only a handful of approved programme providers for Wine Scholar Guild in the UK.

Download the full specification for French Wine Essentials here.