Wine Studies Across the Long Arc: Advanced Regions, Cellar Management, and a Sommelier Career

The sommelier profession rewards depth and breadth in equal measure. At advanced levels — certified, advanced, and master examinations — candidates are expected to demonstrate not only accurate blind tasting identification across major and minor regions but also the business acumen to build a profitable wine program, the communication skill to train a service team, and the intellectual humility to sustain decades of learning in a constantly evolving field. By the end of this course you will be able to describe the major and secondary wine regions of France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the New World at a level appropriate for advanced sommelier examination, develop a wine list strategy for a restaurant with defined cuisine and price points, and outline the examination structure and preparation pathway for recognized sommelier certification programs. What you will learn: - Advanced France: Burgundy village-level geography, Bordeaux classification systems, the Northern and Southern Rhône compared - Advanced Italy: Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG structure, Brunello vs. Rosso di Montalcino, Amarone production - Advanced Spain: Rioja aging classifications, Priorat and Bierzo, Sherry styles and production method - Germany: VDP classification, Prädikat levels, the Mosel vs. Rheingau distinction at producer level - New World in depth: Napa subAVAs, Mendoza's altitude variation, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc terroir discussion - Wine list strategy: structure by style vs. by region, markup structure, glass pour program, and list refresh cadence - Staff training: tasting session design, product knowledge communication, and motivation for service team engagement - Examination preparation: the structure of CMS, WSET Diploma, and MW examinations compared; study planning principles This course is built around advanced case studies including a regional comparison of Burgundy premier cru against Grand cru, a restaurant wine list redesign for a new chef's cuisine change, and a study plan analysis for a candidate sitting the CMS Certified examination. Regional reference worksheets, a wine list structure template, and an examination preparation planner are provided. This course is designed for wine professionals and serious students who have completed foundational and intermediate wine training and are preparing for advanced examinations or career development in the sommelier profession. Prior completion of a WSET Level 2 or equivalent is assumed. This course is educational; sommelier certification requires formal examination and, at higher levels, demonstrated supervised service experience in a professional context.