Congratulations to Bret Lowry, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!
About Bret:
I am a wine enthusiast who turned my passion into my profession. My burgeoning interest in wine prompted me to seek educational opportunities by which to expand my wine knowledge and to become more intimately acquainted with the history, grape varieties, and production details of my favorite appellations and wines. This past year, I worked at a winery in Southwest Michigan where I gained experience in sales and the production side of the wine business. Working all four seasons out in the field and entwining myself with the viticultural and enological aspects of winemaking intensified my passion for wine and cemented it as the industry I wish to pursue for my career. At this time, I have aspirations for a career in distribution or fine wine auction houses.
I began my formal wine studies with WSET Level 1 and eagerly achieved the WSET Level 2 (with Distinction) shortly thereafter. At that juncture, I turned my focus to the courses offered by the Wine Scholar Guild to hone in on the wines of Italy, for which I have a particular affinity. The course was extremely rewarding. The study manual, online instruction and resources, and anecdotes shared by instructors and classmates added multiple layers of information and nuance to the experience.
I am a firm believer that the menu of courses offered by the Wine Scholar Guild will contribute to success in other wine education programs, which is why I am currently enrolled in the French Wine Scholar program.
Thanks to the IWS program, I am now able to speak about Italian wines, regions, appellations, varieties and more with a heightened degree of confidence. That is an invaluable tool to have socially and is useful in many wine careers. While the IWS credential surely carries weight professionally, I would also like to utilize what I have learned in IWS with a wine-focused immersion trip to Italy.
