Congratulations to Shruti Sinha, FWS, for achieving highest honors in the French Wine Scholar exam with West London Wine School.
About Shruti:
I am a wine enthusiast! I grew up in India and moved to the UK and then to the US for higher studies in Economics. As such my world has been miles away from the professional wine industry and mostly limited to socially drinking in my adulthood. After completing my Ph.D., I took my first job as an academic in Toulouse, France in 2015 where I remained for 6 years – and this is where I caught the wine bug.
Wine is so integral to the French way of life, that there is no way to come out of there without falling in love with their wines. But, it was a chance trip to Bourgogne that opened up a world of intrigue and fascination. I was struck by the versatility of a single grape - a Chardonnay in Chablis tasted nothing like a Chardonnay in Meursault. I have ever since been on a journey to learn more about wine. To unravel and understand the hows and whys of viticulture… And I am only just getting started.
I have done a WSET Level 2 (passed with Distinction) and WSET Level 3 (passed with Merit).
The FWS program was truly special in two ways:
- It helped me dive deep into wines and viticultural practices of France, which is where it all began for me.
- Understanding the historical and cultural context of wines and viticulture has further opened up a whole new way of engaging in oenology.
I plan to enrol in the Spanish Wine Scholar program next.
The FWS program has given me a solid foundation in French wines and their viticultural practices. It has made me keener to try different and rarer wine varieties. I have recently been exploring the wines of Savoie. It has also set the stage to explore other wine making countries and explore the fascinating world of wine further.
