Congratulations to Edmund Chow, IWS for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with the highest honors!
About Edmund Chow:
''I am Edmund Chow living in Hong Kong. I work as a senior auditor at an audit firm. I also work part time as a senior wine consultant for Swisswinemaker, a wine company mainly imports and sells Swiss wines in Hong Kong.
I am a wine enthusiast. My passion for wine started a few years back and was passed by one of my good friends, Dr. Baudouin Neirynck. He was a Professor teaching hospitality in the Institute for Tourism Studies in Macau. He gave me and some other friends free tutoring on wines. Every time we met, he shared with us two to three bottles of his wine collection free. He always say that good wines are for sharing.
After I finished learning from him, I continued pursuing my love and passion for wines. I studied the Wines and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 3. The more I studied wines, the more I liked them. Upon completing Level 3, I studied the French Wine Scholar (FWS). It was an interesting and challenging course, which I passed with highest honours. From the FWS, I learned more in-depth about French wine classification, regions and wines. Besides, I also learned about the cool and warm soils, and the impacts of soils on wine tastes and styles. These excited me more and drove me to learn more about wines. I went on to study the WSET diploma. The course widened my vision and knowledge further, particularly on vitification, vinification, bottling, packaging, and wine marketing and markets. Despite it was a demanding course, I passed with Merit.
I then started to work in my friend’s wine company as a senior wine consultant, helping to sell Swiss wines which it is a niche market in Hong Kong. I also help a local wine company to promote its wines and brandy in Mainland China. I also involved in some wine competitions as a wine judge.
Last year, I started Unit 1 of the Italian Wine Scholar (IWS). I found the course materials very well written, educating and fascinating. The more I studied the IWS, the more I like the history, culture, places, cuisines and wines of Italy. I passed Unit 1 with highest honours. Because of the study, my family went on a trip to Italy, visiting Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre and Barolo this summer. Apart from visiting the scenic places, I also tried a lot of local wines, such as Rossese di Dolceaqua, Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato, Sciacchetra of Cinque Terre, Est!Est!Est! di Monstefiacone, Orvieto, etc. I was thrilled by them. I plan to visit Italy again next summer.
I then started Unit 2 this summer. They are as interesting, enlightening, fascinating and educating as Unit 1. I learn many indigenous grape varieties from Umbria, Marche, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sicilia. Out of interest and curiosity, I source on-line wines made from Tintilia, Sagrantino, Carricante, Nerello Mascalese, Grechetto, Pecorino, Aleatico, Nero di Troia, etc. They are amazing grapes and wines.
I also learn from the IWS quite a few of the local traditional wine making methods, such as using governos for making Chianti, madres for making Vin Santos and triple different fermentation for making Vernaccia di Serrapetrona, a sparkling wine in Marche. My curiosity and love to try the wines made from the indigenous grapes also help. I passed Unit 2 with another 95, an overall pass of the IWS with highest honours.
The IWS really broadens my vision on everything related to wines, from grape varieties, classification system, vitification to vinification, and how the terrior and mesoclimate impact on wine tastes and styles. There are a lot of history, wisdom and traditions in Italian wines. I greatly love Italian wines and want to share with others these great treasures of Italy, probably of the world. I did a talk on a chat group of about 500 wine lovers and traders about the Italian wine classification and the grapes and wines from Piemonte. I brought to their attention that Italian wine classification is the only classification that requires DOC and DOCG wines to be made from grapes grown on the slope of certain aspect. That is unique. If one can appreciate the wine classification system of Italy, one knows a lot of the subject already.
I intend to study the Master Class organised by the Vinitaly International Academy and to be an Ambassador for Italian wines. I want to share my passion for Italian wines by tutoring and recommending Italian wines to local wine lovers and novices in future. I also plan to do the Master of Wine programme to pursue the highest recognition in the wine industry. The knowledge that I gain from both the FWS and the IWS will certainly help me to rise to a higher level and achieve my goals and dreams.''
