Top Exam Scorers

Erik Casterud FWS

  • The FWS program has given me the opportunity to solely study the French regions and its wines. Thanks to its up-to-date and often accurate study manual and materials, it has helped me filling various blanks of mine, useful for my WSET Level 4 Diploma studies.
  • Director of Education for the Scandinavian Wine Academy in Sweden
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Erik Casterud FWS, Education Director at the Scandinavian Wine Academy in Sweden, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! Actually, not one but three instructors from the Scandinavian Wine Academy have passed the French Wine Scholar exam with highest...

Pontus Jennerholm FWS

  • I will start teaching the FWS program this spring at Scandinavian Wine Academy, and I think it will help me to further my student’s passion for French wine
  • Instructor at the Scandinavian Wine Academy in Sweden
  • WSET Diploma
Congratulations to Pontus Jennerholm FWS, instructor at the Scandinavian Wine Academy in Sweden, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! Actually, not one but three instructors from the Scandinavian Wine Academy have passed the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors:...

Shawn McVay, FWS

  • The FWS truly helped me grasp the complexity of French wine law and I am always referring back to the materials for review. I greatly appreciate the WSG for such solid educational resources!
  • Wine Professional
  • WSET Level 3, Introductory Sommelier Certificate (CMS)
Congratulations Shawn McVay, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar with the highest honors (and with a perfect score of 100%!) with our program provider Wine Smarties in San Diego, CA! About Shawn: "I am both a wine enthusiast and work in the profession. I have always had a great curiosity for...

Kari Dawson

  • The Master-Level program allowed me to take a more general understanding of wine and focus on a specific area and type of wine. I love understanding how the history, natural attributes and culture of a given place shape its wines.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3, Certified Specialist of Wine CSW, Certified Specialist of Spirits
Congratulations Kari Dawson for passing the Bourgogne Master-level Program with the highest honors. About Kari: "I am a dedicated wine enthusiast who has traveled to wine producing areas throughout the United States, France and Italy.I hold a WSET Level 3 (advanced) certification and am a...

Lillian Lim, FWS

  • The FWS program helped me to recognize the plethora of factors behind every glass of wine. I now look at wine and all its complexities through a more sophisticated lens.
  • Wine buyer, sommelier, teacher and consultant
  • Certified Sommelier (CMS), Certified Specialist of Wines CSW
Congratulations Lillian Lim, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar with the highest honors with our program provider San Francisco Wine School in San Francisco! About Lillian: "My journey began as a wine enthusiast. Tasting some unforgettable wines from Burgundy forever changed my wine world and...

Blake Cherrington

  • In many respects I consider the Provence and Rhone ML programs coupled with the Wine Study Immersion Tours to be ‘capstone’ experiences taking me to the most in-depth knowledge of these two areas it is possible for me to obtain.
  • Wine Educator
  • Certified Specialist of Wine CSW, Certified Wine Educator CWE
Congratulations to Blake Cherrington for passing both the Rhone & Provence Master-Level exams with the highest honors! About Blake: ''I didn’t grow up in a wine drinking family. We had the obligatory Sherry and Port decanters on the sideboard but, being good Canadians, our usual celebratory family...

Keith Miller

  • The ML programs are great because you force yourself to really double down on the finer points. The Master Level certificate is a great asset to any wine resume by adding another degree of accomplishment.
  • Sommelier from Virginia, USA
  • Certified Specialist of Wine CSW, Certified Sommelier (CMS) , FWS
Congratulations to Keith Miller, sommelier from Virginia, USA, for passing the Rhone Master-Level examination with honors! About Keith: I first discovered wine, when I was 25, and worked as a waiter at Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. It began a life long passion. I am working in the wine...

Andrew Ashurst, FWS

  • Any wine educator should do one of these courses. Thanks to the Wine Scholar Guild I have the possibility to be a father, work and study at the same time. I would definitely do another course!
  • Wine Educator
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations Andrew Ashurst, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar with the highest honors! About Andrew: ''I am an English teacher by profession, but after opening an English academy in the Penedès wine region in Catalunya, we quickly became aware of the potential behind wine education...

Flavio Lorenzelli, FWS

  • The FWS program has been extremely interesting and it has complemented my knowledge about French wines tremendously. I think that the course was very well organized and extremely informative. This is what convinced me to enroll in the Italian Wine Scholar program.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations Flavio Lorenzelli, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar with the highest honors with our program provider The Wine House in Los Angeles! About Flavio: ''I am an electrical engineer, born in Piemonte but living in Los Angeles, California, USA, for now 27 years. I grew up...

Chad Watkins

  • For me in particular as a younger professional, having courses like the ML program has given me lots of respect because of the knowledge I’ve gained and the ability that gives me to talk intelligibly about wines to other wine professionals and consumers.
  • Brand Manager for The Winebow Group, specializing in Greek and Australian wines.
  • Certified Specialist of Wine CSW, Alsace Master Level.
Congratulations to Chad Watkins for successfully passing the Bordeaux Master-Level exam with the highest honors! About Chad: ''I have been working in the wine industry for almost 10 years. I spent a year studying history and French language in Strasbourg, France. It was here I fell in love with...

Elisabeth Iriart, FWS

Congratulations to Elisabeth Iriart, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with the highest honors!

Roz Lawson, FWS

  • I really enjoyed taking the time to study one country in detail, and explore the many differences between each of the regions (and within the regions). I have now enrolled in the Italian Wine Scholar course.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Roz Lawson, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with the highest honors! About Roz: ''I am a wine enthusiast! I enjoy travelling, and one of my favourite things to do is to eat local food and taste local wine – so far in France, across Europe, in the US, Australia and...

Tommasella Perniciaro, FWS

  • Now that I have passed the FWS program successfully I feel even more confident in organizing French wine tastings. I will be able to give FWS courses in the future as well and this will be a really great opportunity for my teaching career.
  • Wine Educator of WSET courses in Madrid
  • WSET Diploma
Congratulations to Tommasella Perniciaro, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with honors! About Tommasella: ''I was born as a wine enthusiast, participating in some wine tastings in Madrid, Spain, where I currently live. I soon understood that wine was going to be my real passion and I...

Kurt Spangsbjerg Petersen, FWS

  • The French Wine Scholar course was exactly what I was looking for. A comprehensive and in-depth learning about the ”World of French Wines” in a structured and inspiring way.
  • Wine Enthusiast
Congratulations to Kurt Spangsbjerg Petersen, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with honors! About Kurt: ''I’m a wine enthusiast. My passion for French wine first ignited when vacationing in France. By visiting the different wine regions and the local winemakers my curiosity and my...

Yen Ling TANG, FWS

  • FWS complemented and enhanced my knowledge in French wines. It is an in-depth advance course, well-structured and comprehensive wine list, yet being taught in and very interactive way.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Yen Ling Tang, FWS for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with the highest honors with AWSEC! About Yen Ling: ''Back in many years ago I was puzzled looking at the drink menu and would not knowing most of the them on the list, it can be a long list, especially when dining in a...

Debra Hoe, FWS

  • the FWS program was a natural progression from WSET level 3 as it built on the knowledge from level 3 and went into a lot more detail about each of the winemaking regions in France which I found really interesting.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations Debra Hoe for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with honors with the West London Wine School! About Debra: ''I am definitely a wine enthusiast! I was first introduced to wine/Champagne when I was 18 and we were celebrating my cousin’s graduation from medical school. I was given...

Simone Madden-Grey

  • The ML programme allowed me to focus more specifically on one region and delve deeper into the particulars of a single wine-producing region. The webinars were an especially helpful and enjoyable part of the course – the breadth of experience that is shared by the presenters was a definite highlight.
  • Wine Educator of WSET classes in Melbourne
  • WSET Diploma
Congratulations to Simone Madden-Grey for passing the Rhone Master-Level exam with the highest honors! About Simone: ''As Director of Happy Wine Woman, based in Melbourne, Australia, I provide a range of consulting services to private and industry clients in the areas of cellar management, buying,...

Sandy Chen, FWS

  • There have been lots of interesting sessions in FWS like the vinicultural history, food pairing etc. that I’ll definitely bring with myself along the interesting wine study journey.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Sandy Chen, FWS and student of AWSEC for passing successfully the French Wine Scholar exam with the highest honors! About Sandy: WSET Level 2: Pass with Distinction (May 2016)WSET Level 3: Pass with Distinction (Sep 2016) ''I enjoyed taking a few sips of cocktail from time to...

Issa Keshek, FWS

  • The comprehensive material puts matters in perspective, provides not only structure but also the right wine vernacular for both my consultancy practice and my personal experience.
  • Wine Consultancy & Education
Congratulations to Issa Keshek, FWS and student of the Napa Valley Wine Academy for having passed the French Wine Scholar exam with the highest honors! About Issa: ''Although I may have started as a Wine enthusiast; I opted to expand my knowledge horizons through a series of courses and self...

Sebastien Lafortune

  • with my greater understanding of the region as a whole and how each house is quite different from the others, this will be an asset when buying new champagnes for our stores.
Congratulations to Sebastien Lafortune from Alberta, Canada for successfully passing the Champagne Master-Level exam with the highest honors! About Sebastien: ''I started in the restaurant business when I was 15 and worked in that capacity for over 20 years. In the last 5 years I’ve worked on the...