Many congratulations to Elizabeth Yabrudy Istúriz, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!
About Elizabeth:
I am a journalist with a M.Sc. in Electronic Publishing from City University London. Currently I am an Independent Professional, but I spend most of my time as a Wine Educator/Wine & Spirits Consultant for Celicor Boutique, one of the most respected wine and spirits retailers in Venezuela.
My formal interest for wine began in 2008, when I decided to study in the Academia de Sommeliers de Venezuela (member of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, ASI) to become a Professional Sommelier. After that, I co-owned a wine school for non-professionals, while researching the next path in my development. I then decided to continue my formation with the Society of Wine Educators, to officially become a wine teacher.
I enjoy and respect working in the wine industry. It is a continual learning process in a nonstop career. I am very lucky because every day I managed to combine my passion for wine with my professional title as Journalist and Electronic Publisher, now powered by the opportunity of being a Certified Wine Educator. I am always meeting people who can learn from my experience and my knowledge, and fall in love with wine just as I did more than ten years ago.
I am a Sommelier (2009) from the Academia de Sommeliers de Venezuela, member of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, ASI. I also own three certifications from the Society of Wine Educators: Certified Specialist of Wine (2014), Certified Specialist of Spirits (2016), and Certified Wine Educator (2018), winner of the Banfi Award for earning the highest score of the year in the Certified Wine Educator exam.
Being part of the first Spanish Wine Scholar (SWS) for Educators court was very special, not only for the gained knowledge, but also for the experience of being able to contribute -even in a minimum portion- to the launch of this Certification. I have always been a fan of Spanish wines and I now have a deeper understanding of the country and its wines, which is a perfect complement for my current wine development and for my future wine studies.
Being able to comprehend Spain as a country and its wine industry, allows me not only to share the knowledge with my current students at this moment, but also in the future as an instructor of an Approved Program Provider. The knowledge obtained is also a great preparation for future certification programs that I could take.
