Congratulations Shawn McVay, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar with the highest honors (and with a perfect score of 100%!) with our program provider Wine Smarties in San Diego, CA!
About Shawn:
"I am both a wine enthusiast and work in the profession. I have always had a great curiosity for wine, spirits, and culinary matters. This curiosity remained largely just that until a little over 3 years ago when I transitioned from a medical-focused career to hospitality.
Along with my move to San Diego from Seattle, it was time to pursue my passions! I’ve since then worked my way through various positions in restaurants while embarking on serious wine studies, beginning with WSET. It’s a big world to try and understand, and my hope is to always keep learning and growing and eventually put the knowledge to use as a winemaker.
As much as I enjoy the studying and selling aspects of wine, I feel my calling is to craft with my hands. I just resigned from my previous position as a wine director and bartender at a great restaurant in order to pursue my winemaking goals. I plan on focusing on my studies for a while and interning at local wineries until I have enough experience to establish my own place.
So far, I have completed the WSET Level 2 & 3, the Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory Level 1, and the FWS. I am currently enrolled to take the Certified Sommelier exam in March of this year.
Regarding longer-term educational goals, I plan on moving forward with my WSET Diploma as well as the Advanced Sommelier certification. And in the meantime I look forward to taking the Italian Wine Scholar and other supplemental educational workshops and programs.
I am a person who thrives on details; I am always asking myself “what is the difference between this and that?” France is such a pivotal axis around which the world of wine turns, that understanding its regions and laws has laid a better foundation for me to understand everything else. Additionally, it was a great asset, at an early stage in my journey, to boost my confidence with one of the most complicated regions in the world.
The FWS truly helped me grasp the complexity of French wine law and I am always referring back to the materials for review. I greatly appreciate the WSG for such solid educational resources!"
