Congratulations to Timothy Ouellette, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!
About Timothy:
Wine is my passion and my profession. I’ve been working in the industry for 15+ years and I spend much of my time outside of work studying, consulting, and tasting (that’s what wine professionals call drinking). My Aha! Moment came when I was working at a wine shop in Whistler; a customer had broken a high-end bottle of Martinborough Pinot Noir and as I reached the mess with a mop the smell hit me; it was like candy, but for grown-ups. That’s when the relationship got serious, wine and I went from just liking each other to being in love. My goal is to make wine more approachable to the average person; to let them know that it can be fun and easy and unpretentious.
Once I began the Wine Scholar programs I already had my WSET Diploma so much of what I was studying about Bordeaux and Burgundy was just a refresher, but the French Wine Scholar taught me about the lesser known regions like the Southwest, Jura and Savoie. The texts are an excellent addition to what I already have. I have also completed the Italian Wine Scholar and the Spanish Wine Scholar.
The French Wine Scholar has made me more confident with the lesser known regions of France and kept my knowledge of the larger regions fresh. You can never know everything about wine, and you’ll lose some along the way so learning is an ongoing process.
