Congratulations to David Emes, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!
About David:
I work full-time in private equity investments, based in Singapore, completely unrelated to wine. I have been a keen wine enthusiast for many years, going all the way back to university. My knowledge and taste for wine has developed over time having travelled extensively for business and pleasure, taking me to many different places. For instance, I worked for a French insurance company that even owned its own vineyards (and still does).
I began studying wine only relatively recently in Abu Dhabi, of all places, in 2015. The WSET level 2 was on offer and I thought it would be interesting as I was looking for something to keep my brain engaged outside of work. It was a good course and I achieved a distinction but level 3 was not available there and it wasn’t until I came to Singapore to work that I continued my studies.
I have completed three wine courses this year including the French Wine Scholar. The other two are the WSET level 3 (Distinction) and the Certified Specialist of Wine (Distinction), from the Society of Wine Educators.
The FWS has complemented my studies well, helping me to enrich my knowledge of French wines and to fill in some gaps I had relating to the more obscure regions in France. I am currently enrolled in the WSET Diploma program, which is online.
My ultimate dream (and one I intend to fulfil) is to own a vineyard and I am planning to establish one in the UK, my home. I intend to keep my knowledge up and this will include completing the diploma and the other courses that FWS is offering (Spain and Italy), and potentially other courses in viticulture.
