Wine Scholar Guild honors Caplan Wine Academy as 2019 Italian Wine Scholar™ Program Provider of the Year!

IWS Program Provider of the Year rewards professionalism and perfectionism in the business of wine education and delivery of the Italian Wine Scholar study & certification program. Judging criteria includes student volume, facilities, student evaluations and the overall profile of the course offerings given by that learning institution.  These factors, together, create an award-winning environment of academic rigor and excellence.

Congratulations to Caplan Wine Academy!

INTERVIEW WITH ETTORE DONADEO, INSTRUCTOR AT CAPLAN WINE ACADEMY

Caplan Wine Academy started to offer the Italian Wine Scholar program in Tokyo in 2019 but is already awarded “IWS Program Provider Of The Year”, what a rapid ascent!
What type of experience do you provide at your school (teaching methods, social components, support outside of class, etc) that you think sets you apart?

I think that few schools can boast such a great group of competent teachers: most of the instructors at Caplan hold the WSET Diploma and are Certified Educators. Furthermore, we approach wine teaching in a very “international” fashion, by making constant links between what is taught in the class and what you can perceive in the glass. This approach is really paying off in recent years because the people recognize the value of international certifications and want to learn wine with this kind of mindset. I would not be surprised to see some of our students becoming MWs in the next ten years.
We also value our student community by organizing class and school parties and the students are encouraged to network and form tasting groups.

Can you tell us more about Caplan Wine Academy? What other courses are you offering?

Caplan Wine Academy teaches wine since 1995 and the number of courses has grown during the years with the growth of the Japanese wine market. We are located in the very centre of Tokyo, in a beautiful setting made up by three classrooms and a lounge that we use for tastings and events. It is pretty rare to have such a comfortable space in Tokyo and it really puts you in the mood of having a glass of wine!
At present we have WSET wine courses of all levels, from 1 to Diploma, Sake courses, Champagne courses sponsored by the CIVC and wine courses “for fun”. Of course we also have the Italian Wine Scholar and we are working toward starting the Spanish Wine Scholar as well, although it will take some time.

What are the professional benefits for achieving Italian Wine Scholar certification for those who want to enter or for those who are already in the wine industry in Japan?

In terms of value Italy is the second most important Country for wine imports in Japan. There are tons of importers including Italian wine in their portfolio and many others specializing only on Italian wine. The same is true for Italian restaurants and cafés, that keep springing up here and there like mushrooms. These will all use and sell Italian wine. So I think that where is a market there is also the need to develop knowledge to deal with it and that is where the Italian Wine Scholar can help professionals: first to go beyond the basic denominations that everyone know to diversify your offering and second to find alternatives to wines now so popular that they are getting out of the league for the common consumer. We had an excellent Conero Riserva DOCG last lesson that could stand some Bordeaux or Super Tuscans at 1/3 of the price!
For those who are not in the industry as I said there are many importers and shop just dedicated to Italian wine, introducing yourself with the Italian Wine Scholar is a way to communicate that you are passionate about it and you know a lot, both elements that are highly appreciated by employers.

2019 WSG PROGRAM PROVIDER AWARDS:

• French Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year: Eno Cultura (Brazil)
• French Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year: Monica Marin (Los Angeles, CA)
• Italian Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year: Caplan Wine Academy (Tokyo, Japan)
• Italian Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year: Mimi Martin (Portland, OR)

Previous Years WSG Awards:

• 2018 French Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year: Cru Consultancy (Vancouver, Canada)
• 2018 French Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year: Tanya Morning Star (Seattle, WA)
• 2018 Italian Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year: Asia Wine Service & Education Centre (Hong Kong)
• 2018 Italian Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year: Jimmy Smith (London, UK)
• 2017 French Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year: West London Wine School (London, UK)
• 2017 French Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year: Mr. Hwee Peng Lim, CWE, FWS (Singapore)
• 2017 Italian Wine Scholar Program Provider of the Year: Independent Wine Education Guild - IWEG (Toronto, CAN)
• 2017 Italian Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year: Mr. Chris Miller (San Francisco Wine School, USA)
• 2016 WSG Program Provider of the Year: Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, CAN)
• 2016 WSG Instructor the Year: Sheral Schowe, M.Ed., FWS, IWS (Wasatch Academy of Wine, Salt Lake City, USA)
• 2015 WSG Program Provider of the Year: AWSEC (Hong Kong, HKG)
• 2015 WSG Instructor the Year: David Glancy MS, FWS (San Francisco Wine School, USA)