FWS

Karen Rasmussen, FWS

  • The FWS program has cemented my grasp and understanding of French wine, enabling me to explain and sell these wines better in my profession.
  • Owner of The Casual Somm (private wine events & tasting parties) and Restaurant Sales Specialist for Maverick Beverage Company
  • Court of Master Sommelier Level 1, Interational Sommelier Guild Levels 1 & 2, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Karen Rasmussen, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Karen: I am a wine professional with 10 years beverage industry experience in Denver, Colorado. In 2013, I caught the ‘wine bug’ working in a local wine shop and began putting myself...

Doug Homoky, FWS

  • With France being home to most of the "classics," I now feel much better prepared to be able to branch out and understand other areas.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • Spanish Wine Scholar, Certified Sherry Wine Specialist, WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Doug Homoky, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Doug: I am currently a Gastroenterologist but my passion for tasting and learning about wine has been steadily growing for the past 20yrs. The study of wine is similar to that of medicine in...

Emanuele Bertazzoni, FWS

  • FWS gave me the opportunity to go much deeper into the world of French wines, especially with reference to those regions which are not normally so covered or “main-stream”.
  • F&B Manager, Wine Director, Buyer, Cristal Management AS
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Emanuele Bertazzoni, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Emanuele: I am 41 years old and I have been working in the business for several years. Originally born and raised in Milano, Italia I have now been living in Bergen, Norway for nearly...

Allison Sheardy, FWS

  • The French Wine Scholar program was fun because it dug a little deeper into the history and culture of the regions I was introduced to during my WSET journey.
  • Tasting Room Manager, Rustic Roots Winery
  • WSET Diploma
Congratulations to Allison Sheardy, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Allison: I came to wine as a second career about six years ago and have truly found my raison d’etre. I’ve created a niche for myself working in unique wine regions around the United States...

Rafael Bruzamolin, FWS

  • The FWS program raised my bar on all French wine regions and galvanized my interest in learning even more about France´s viticulture and winemaking.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • Spanish Wine Scholar, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Rafael Bruzamolin, FWS, SWS for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with Eno Cultura, Sao Paulo and in the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with Celebrare, Brazil. About Rafael: I´m a wine enthusiast. A physician and Healthcare Executive by trade. My passion for...

Matthew Kasumovic, FWS

  • The multi-dimensional focus of FWS i,e, history, soils, climate, wine law, helps to not only understand what, but also why, which is the key to success in advanced levels of education.
  • Tasting Room Associate, Big Head Wines
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Matthew Kasumovic, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Matthew: I am a wine enthusiast and part-time wine professional that has shaped life outside of my full-time work around wine study. My journey truly began by realizing that I was not...

Leslie Binstock, FWS

  • I discovered WSG and decided to start with the FWS (since I live in France). I really learned a great deal specifically about French wines.
  • Assistant Sommelier, Maison Lucas Carton
  • WSET Levels 1, 2, & 3
Congratulations to Leslie Binstock, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Leslie: I started getting interested in wine in my junior year at college (BU). And since then I've always tried to educate myself on the subject. But it wasn't until the Covid lockdown,...

Sergio Novelli Musolino, FWS

  • The depth covered, as well as the level of interaction of the materials available online offered by the WSG, are the highest in the wine industry.
  • CEO / Sales Coordinator, Enoteca Decanter Ribeirão Preto and Bekaa Wine Club São Jose do Rio Preto
  • Spanish Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Scholar, IWS Prep
Congratulations to Sergio Novelli Musolino, FWS, for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with Celebrare, Brazil. About Sergio: I have been being a wine professional for over 25 years. I work with wine education and sales to consumers, hotels and restaurants. Wine is an endless...

Claire McKinney-Froehlich, FWS

  • I have an even deeper respect for the growers and wine makers of France after deep-diving into the AOC requirements.
  • Founder of Wine Bound LLC and Wine and Beer Purchasing Specialist at Natural Grocers
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Claire McKinney-Froehlich, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Claire: I am a wine professional with approximately 10 years of experience in the wine industry. I currently run my own wine consulting business, Wine Bound LLC and am also the...

Canon Thomas, FWS

  • The FWS program has given me more confidence and professionalism in presentations, in discerning quality and value, and identifying hidden gems for my accounts.
  • Account Executive, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
  • CSW (Society of Wine Educators), WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Canon Thomas, FWS, for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits. About Canon: I am very fortunate that wine is both my passion and my career! I am currently an Account Executive for the fine wine division at Southern...

Magnus Haglund, FWS

  • I think FWS was a perfect follow up to my previous studies adding more depth to my understanding of France’s wine regions.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Magnus Haglund, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors. About Magnus: I am a wine enthusiast and a geologist, originally from Finland but living in Canada’s Okanagan Valley for quite a few years now. Living in an up-and-coming wine region helped peak...

Anne Bilczuk, FWS

  • The latest FWS course, version 7, has incredible tools and learning modules that support distance learning; I highly recommend this program for those unable to attend in-person classes.
  • Founder & Principal, Canadian Wine Explorer
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Anne Bilczuk, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Anne: From as far back as I can remember, grapes and wine have always been in the background as we were growing up, so I would definitely describe myself as a wine enthusiast. As a child, I...

Howard Levine, FWS

  • As I further my wine studies, I intend to use the study techniques and knowledge gained from the FWS program to deepen my understanding of other wine regions of the world.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Howard Levine, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Howard: I am a wine enthusiast and have recently had the opportunity to explore two of the great wine regions of the world: Burgundy and Napa/ Sonoma Valleys. While exploring the Côte d’Or...

Ana Letícia Zodi, FWS

  • The FWS course is much more than just information. Knowledge comes together with history, culture, tradition, geography, gastronomy and passion. 
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Ana Letícia Zodi, FWS for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with Eno Cultura, São Paulo, Brazil. About Ana Letícia: I'm a wine lover.In the past I was in the trade when I had a Wine Bar in São Paulo, but today I work with 3 chocolate franchises and 1...

Walden Pemantle, FWS

  • The FWS program has already helped me as a teacher, sales person, and most importantly, as a wine drinker.
  • Director of Education, The Texas Wine School & Art of Cellaring
  • Italian Wine Scholar, Certified Sommelier, WSET Diploma
Congratulations to Walden Pemantle, FWS, for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with The Texas Wine School. About Walden: I’ve worked in food & wine since I was 13. I started as a prep cook, became a line cook and eventually left the kitchen to work in wine education,...

Gianmarco De Martino, FWS

  • Studying the wines and the wine regions of France, I’ve learnt so much about the vineyard and winemaking traditions of those regions.
  • Winemaker, Tscharke Wines
Congratulations to Gianmarco De Martino, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar with highest honors! About Marco: I grew up in Italy and moved to Australia in 2014. I started reading about wine and organizing tastings with friends in Brisbane, while working in hospitality. Wine quickly became a...

Tanmay Rathod, FWS

  • I have found the course to be ideally curated to enable students to fully understand the differing regions, terroirs, terminology and appellations. The webinars are exemplary and expertly delivered.
  • Restaurant Manager, Hotel Les Falaises, Cahors, France / Founder Scholar at the Gerard Basset Foundation
Congratulations to Tanmay Rathod, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Tanmay: I am a Professional Hotelier and a Wine Enthusiast. I first embarked upon my hospitality career in the Malbec birthplace of Cahors, my first ever experience of living and working away...

Timothy Ouellette, FWS

  • The French Wine Scholar has made me more confident with the lesser known regions of France and kept my knowledge of the larger regions fresh.
  • Product Consultant & Instructor, LCBO & Fine Vintage LTD.
  • Italian Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, WSET Diploma
Congratulations to Timothy Ouellette, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Timothy: Wine is my passion and my profession. I’ve been working in the industry for 15+ years and I spend much of my time outside of work studying, consulting, and tasting (that’s what...

Alessandro Ago, FWS

  • The FWS program has unlocked so many exciting wine regions and wine styles for me, and the variety and adventurousness that now defines my wine choices has brought great joy to both me and my wine-loving friends.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • Loire Master Level, French Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, IWS Prep, WSET Levels 2 & 3, CSW (Society of Wine Educators)
Congratulations to Alessandro Ago, FWS, for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with The Wine House, Los Angeles. About Alessandro: I’m a life-long wine enthusiast, having spent many years travelling back and forth between Italy and the US as a dual citizen with family rooted...

Andrew Robson, FWS

  • I am an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to wine, and have always liked to know the provenance of the wines I buy.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Andrew Robson, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Andrew: I am an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to wine, and have always liked to know the provenance of the wines I buy.I have the WSET level 2 with distinction and was working on level 3...