Congratulations to Anton Vamplew, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar program with highest honors!
About Anton:
In what seems like a previous existence, I made a living as an amateur astronomer (I am coming to the wine), which came from when, as a young lad, I used to gaze out at the starry skies with a great desire to know what I was looking at. As I found out, you can never know everything about the stars, planets and the universe, as there is so much to learn. Plus, new information rolls in all the time, which means you are always learning - and it is this gaining of knowledge that I really enjoy. So, when a friend encouraged me to join him on his wine studying adventure, I thought I’d give it a go. Little did I know how fascinating this subject is, to the point that I am now considering future working opportunities in the world of wine.
My wine journey started with WSET 2 in February 2018, followed later that year by WSET 3. I hesitated momentarily after this. I knew I wanted to continue studying, but I wasn’t sure if I had enough of a knowledge-base for the WSET Diploma. But, if you don’t give it a go… and in April 2019 I entered this full-on educational existence. Year 1 of the two-year Diploma course came to a successful end in March this year, and while I waited to commence Year 2 in August, I thought I’d fit in some more studying with the French Wine Scholar Course. It fitted in perfectly, as it not only provided revision for the French section of the WSET unit that I had just studied, but also the ‘learning’ (or filling in the blanks) that I enjoy, especially around grape growing and winemaking.
The fact the FWS course was provided with a good quality book and online material (with quizzes) were a few of the reasons I took this course. I am a very visual learner, so for me these resources made it an enjoyable learning experience, and I am looking forward - even more now I know what to expect - to continuing my wine studies. Having joined the WSG too, it is clear there is a wealth of information available online, including great seminars, that will help as I continue to explore all the landscapes of wine..
