Top Exam Scorers

Julie Draper, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS has been instrumental in making me more insightful, precise and efficient at my job
  • Consultant and Wine Reviewer, Uncorked, France https://uncorked.fr/
  • WSET Level 2, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Julie Draper, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Julie My professional conversion to the wine industry dates back to early 2017 but I have been a wine enthusiast for most of my life. My earliest wine-related memory being of 8 year-old me...

Aron Veen, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • I was drawn to the flexibility the Wine Scholar Guild offers.
  • Events and Catering Co-ordinator, Tap Restaurant, Vancouver
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Aron Veen, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Aron: My first jobs were in restaurants and I completed the Hospitality Management Diploma at VCC in 2003. For the past ten years, my husband and I have owned Tap Restaurant in South Surrey, a...

Joel Peavy, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • I can now talk to French wine experts the world over, discussing wine and regions thoughtfully with authority,
  • Automation Engineering Manager, Delta Design Inc. / Cohu, Inc.
  • Court of Master Sommelier Introductory Certificate
Congratulations to Joel Peavy, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Joel I’m a wine enthusiast with the goal of growing it into something more. My interest in wine began in 2001 with a bottle of 1999 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon. As I experienced a...

Noelle Harman, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • I knew that if I was going to tackle this region, that the IWS program was going to be my best bet.
  • Wine Blogger, outwines.blog
  • WSET Level 2, WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar, Rhône Master Level
Congratulations to Noelle Harman, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Noelle: After a 10 year career as a tax attorney, I came to the decision that life was too short to continue in a career that I wasn’t passionate about. (Thankfully, I have a very supportive...

Matt Marcewicz, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • The IWS program gave me a deep overview of the huge world of Italian wine.
  • Director of Financial Research, Cypress Strategies
  • French Wine Scholar with highest honors
Congratulations to Matt Marcewicz, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Matt: Wine has been a major piece of my life since I was a teenager. I was lucky to be exposed to classic French wines at an early age and was immediately taken by their aromas and...

Kevin Day, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • The context, the frame of reference, the level of expertise on Italian wine … it is all so much deeper now.
  • Wine Writer, Editor & Photographer, Opening a Bottle / Headwaters Content
Congratulations to Kevin Day, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Kevin: I have always been a storyteller, whether through my creative writing or through my photography. Wine has always been an enjoyable pursuit for me, but I really began to understand its...

Cary Chappell, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • The WSG has given me the ultimate foundation and confidence to pursue future wine education and more importantly a future career in wine.
  • US Government
  • WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Cary Chappell, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Cary: I am an equal opportunity drinker. I am interested in all beverages from tea and coffee to those drinks mostly reserved for 'after 5'. However, my true passion is wine and the stories...

Ting-Liang Lin, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS program made me more focused on cultural and historical factors which affect each French wine region.
  • Former Sales Manager, Danny Wine Collection
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Ting-Liang Lin, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Ting-Liang Ever since I worked at a winery in Barossa Valley for few months, I’ve been falling in love with wine, but the incident, which made me step into the wine industry, is after...

Marilee Goebel Bramhall, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • Thank you so much Wine Scholar Guild for your exceptional program and exceptional instructors!
  • Co-Founder, : Terra au Verre Fine Wine Importers
  • WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Marilee Goebel Bramhall, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Marilee I’ve been a wine enthusiast for most of my life! I’ve worked in the wine industry early in my professional career and I’m thrilled to be back in the industry again now as an...

Lise Kupke, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • I felt the materials, presentations, and teaching aids (especially the on-line flashcards!) were extremely well thought out and useful.
  • Senior IT Officer, The World Bank Group
  • WSET Level 2, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Lise Kupke, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Lise I have spent a whole career managing Information Technology infrastructure and programs for the World Bank Group (which is the Financial Institution associated with the United Nations). But...

Rebecca Christophersen, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • Doing the Italian Wine Scholar program has given me great inspiration.
  • Manager, Grape Tours
Congratulations to Rebecca Christophersen, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Rebecca: I moved to Florence from Denmark in the mid nineties and have spent the past 20 yrs being super passionate about wine, so much so to build up a company aiming to show...

Glauber Hiroito Pereira, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS course was very important, raising personal knowledge to a recognized level in the market.
  • Wine Consultant
  • WSET Level 1, WSET Level 2, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Glauber Hiroito Pereira, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Glauber I studied wines for 20 years. With the courses that I do I intend to become a professional in the area of wines. At the moment, I am developing my first wine list for a...

Kathy Merchant, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • Italy is the country I love most in the world of wine, so it was almost a guilty pleasure to pursue IWS certification!
  • Principal, Kathy Merchant LLC, dba Vino Ventures
  • WSET Level 3, WSET Diploma, Certified Specialist of Wine CSW, French Wine Scholar
Congratulations to Kathy Merchant, IWS for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Kathy: I fell in love with the experience of wine 25 years ago on my first visit to Napa Valley. From then on, I have organized most of my international travel around opportunities to learn...

Nicholas Jeremy Forsey, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS program has broadened my understanding of French wine, whetting my appetite to try wines from regions I’m less familiar and to continue to enjoy wines from those I know with deeper appreciation.
  • Managing Director, Dragon Sourcing (Far East) Ltd
  • WSET Level 2, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Nicholas Jeremy Forsey, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Nicholas I have been someone that enjoys drinking and learning about wine for many years but it is only recently that I started enrolling in some courses to further my knowledge and...

Alexandre Guttemberg Ferreira Takei, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS gave me invaluable tools to enrich my classes and, therefore, help me promote wine education with top quality knowledge here in Salvador!
  • Professor Uniruy Wyden / Instructor Enocultura
  • Court of Master Sommelier Introductory Certificate, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Alexandre Takei, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Alexandre I used to work as a journalist and was a casual wine drinker when I started to study gastronomy and had my first serious contact with wine studies. It was love at first sight and,...

Jonny Gibson, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • The IWS program and the 2018 IWS Educator trip to Trentino, Franciacorta and Lugana have hugely improved my knowledge of Italian wine and reignited my passion for Italian wine.
  • Owner, Sussex Wine School and Kent Wine School
  • WSET Diploma, French Wine Scholar with highest honors
Congratulations to Jonny Gibson, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Jonny: I am a wine educator with a 30 year career in drinks marketing, wine buying and wine education. I have been running two wine schools for the past seven years in the UK - Sussex Wine...

Michael Aitken, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS program accomplishes and provides the sufficient challenge needed and makes the process enjoyable.
  • VP of Wine, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Florida
Congratulations to Michael Aitken, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Michael A strong attribute for learning served me well in my 35 years in the wine business. My father introduced me to the pleasures of wine and food. From there I made wine my passion and...

Mário Márcio Lescano Júnior, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • Motivated by my teachers, I attended the French Wine Scholar program, and it was fantastic! The level of details, the material's quality, make me fall in love with Wine Scholar Guild.
  • Major, Brazilian Army
  • Certified Sommelier, WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Mário Márcio Lescano Júnior, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Mário: I always loved wine and was a casual drinker for many years. I never worked in the wine business (I am a Major of the Brazilian Army), but I had a dream, to attend a...

Mike Dutch, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • My instructors helped me “break the code” on Italian wine which epitomizes the warmth and diversity of the wine world.
  • Retired software engineer and product manager
  • French Wine Scholar with highest honors, WSET Level 3, Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine CSW
Congratulations to Mike Dutch, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Mike: I suppose it is inevitable that I would have an interest in wine having lived in London between 1987 and 1996 and traveling frequently in Europe and Asia during my career in the...

Vladimir Turetsky, FWS

Pierre Freyermuth FWS
  • The FWS is amazing program with very broad and detailed approach. It helped me to understand and appreciate French wines and to be able to identify what is in the bottle only by looking at it and reading the label.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Vladimir Turetsky, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Vladimir: Even though I still work as mechanical engineer I am wine enthusiast who developed passion for wine over the years. I am interested in wine tasting, viticulture, history and...