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INTERVIEW: Alessandra Esteves from Florida Wine Academy, new WSG program provider

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INTERVIEW: Alessandra Esteves from Florida Wine Academy, new WSG program provider

Meet Alessandra Esteves MAES, DipWSET, FWS from Florida Wine Academy, a new Wine Scholar Guild approved program provider in Miami, Florida.

Her first French Wine Scholar session started August 7th with another one scheduled to begin November 28th 2018. Learn more HERE.

Give us a bit of background on your history in wine and your wine school, the Florida Wine Academy.

I began my professional career as an attorney, and practiced law until I decided to take a wine course. In 2012, I quit my job as a corporate lawyer and started writing and blogging about wine.
Florida Wine Academy was founded in 2016, after I completed my WSET Diploma in Wines & Spirits (Level 4) and saw the market opportunity for wine & spirits education in Florida.

What type of education experience do you provide at Florida Wine Academy that you think sets you apart, as a wine school (teaching methods, social components, support outside of class, etc.) ?

We work to provide the best possible experience to all students, whether they are wine professionals or wine lovers, such as shipping the materials within 24 hours. My partner, Guilherme de Macedo, has a corporate background and has implemented many quality oriented measures. We also work with small classes of a maximum of 12 people, which enhances students’ learning environment.  Finally, we offer courses in 3 languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese, which are very important languages in the Florida market.

In addition we offer Masterclasses, wine Labs and tutoring sessions. These are special services that suit the needs of people who are looking to continue with their wine studies.

Why did you decide to start offering the French Wine Scholar Program at Florida Wine Academy?

We wanted to offer the French Wine Scholar from the very beginning.

I did my Champagne Master-Level program with Wine Scholar Guild back in 2015 and was impressed by the quality of the materials and the webinars. In addition to that our students were asking about different certifications and about courses by the Wine Scholar Guild, specifically.

I finished my French Wine Scholar in 2018, passing the exam with 95 points and talked to Wine Scholar Guild right after that, about my wanting to teach the FWS courses in Miami.

If you were going to be stuck on a desert island for the next 20 years and had to choose only one wine to enjoy on the island during that time, what would it be?

Assuming there is ice on the island my choice would be Champagne!

LEARN MORE ABOUT FLORIDA WINE ACADEMY:

http://floridawineacademy.com

Julien Camus

Founder & President @ Wine Scholar Guild

Julien worked as Trade Attaché for wines and spirits at the French Embassy in Washington DC (2004-2006). In this role, he recognized the need for French wine education as a means to spur consumer demand and interest in his country’s wines.

To that end, he founded the Wine Scholar Guild in August of 2005,an organization dedicated to the promotion of French wine and culture through education. Julien invited national importers of French wine to join the organization as Industry Members and 25 key French wine importers did so immediately.

After leaving the embassy, he has devoted his energies to developing the Wine Scholar Guild and its network of program providers around the globe. Julien holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration with a major in International Marketing from the Strasbourg Management School.

In 2019, Julien was one of the "Future 50" award winners, an award created by WSET and IWSC to acknowledge professionals under 40 who have made a significant contribution to the industry.

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