Congratulations to Sun Young Myung, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors with the WSA Wine Academy in Seoul!
About Sun Young:
I am not a wine professional, but I have a lot of friends who buy and taste good wine from around the world. While casually drinking with my friends, I eventually became fascinated with the different aspects of wine: the aroma which changed through time and the distinct color each bottle had. My longing to answer the mysteries hidden behind the different aromas and visual sparkle of wine motivated me to study it in a more official capacity.
I’m not sure if I have the best sense of taste and smell in the world — I still cannot recognize some specific aromas that more seasoned veterans can recognize. However, studying details about grape species and wine production through senses such as taste and smell gave me a better grasp of my wine studies.
I started to study wine with WSET Level 2 to solve the mysteries of wine aromas. I continued to study wine with WSET Level 3, because Level 2 did not quite quench my curiosity. After passing both examinations with distinction, I thought I knew some of the basics of growing vines and making wine around the world. However, even after these tests, I was still not able to guess the aroma and taste of wine while looking solely at the labels. Italian Wine Scholar program gave insights of vine growing and wine making of each state of Italy, as the program covers history, geography, geology, climate, as well as ampelography and vinification of all 20 states in Italy. It was not an easy program, because I had to memorize a myriad of grape varieties and blending details of DOCs and DOCGs. However, after studying the differences of wine production in the northern, central, and southern states of Italy, I was very happy to organize my knowledge of Italian wine. Now I can guess the aroma and taste of wines in Italy while looking at the labels on a basic level. Thank you for the amazing program!
I plan to enroll in French Wine Scholar and Spanish Wine Scholar provided that the WSA wine academy continues to provide the programs in the future. I believe that these programs will give insights on wines across various areas in France and Spain, just as the Italian Wine Scholar program did.
I think that the IWS program will allow me to substantially build upon my wine knowledge and help me create a mind map where I can organize future truths about wine — It will guide and enrich my wine experience. I don’t know where it will lead me to in the future, but I know that my curiosity and studies will carry me to greater heights.
