Congratulations to Joel Dicharry, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!
About Joel:
I have been lucky enough to be a professional in the wine business for the last 23 years, working in a variety of positions from restaurant operations to wholesale trade. Currently I have the honor of representing a new division within the Trinchero Family, responsible for education and sales on smaller production offerings from the family’s estate holdings and partner brands from all over the world. Like many in the trade, I began my career in the restaurant business, a small Italian pizzeria with a dozen Italian wines on the list and not much knowledge as to the differences between them. From there I began to read, study and taste as much as I could, eventually landing a job with a wholesaler: a role that would allow me to taste wine from all parts of the globe and receive a top level education in selling them.I aspire to connect customers and consumers at all levels to wines that they are passionate about. I receive great enjoyment in finding wines that inspire people to ask questions about the origins, the viticulture, the history and all the labor of love that goes into winemaking.
As the wine business is constantly evolving, I have always placed a high value on education as a means of keeping myself engaged in it. To that end, I’ve been fortunate to study with the Society of Wine Educators (CWE, CSS), the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust (WSET-Level 3) and the Court of Master Sommeliers. The FWS program has rounded out my knowledge base on France as a whole and added a more complete understanding of the country on everything from climate and geology to viticulture and the history of each region. I particularly enjoyed the education on areas like Southwest France, Languedoc/Roussillon and the Jura: regions that are often overshadowed by their more famous neighbors.
At the moment, I am studying for the Italian Wine Scholar Exam and plan to apply for the Certified Sommelier exam in 2019.Performing well in the FWS program has added a tangible level of confidence to my understanding of France, as well as giving me a host of resources to call upon as a member of the WSG through podcasts, webinars, pronunciation guides and reference materials. Consequently, this confidence gained from the exam has instilled a high degree of motivation for me to drive my education to the next level.
