Top Exam Scorers

Dan Wright, SWS

Andrea Mcewan SWS
  • You never know when a little tidbit of knowledge will help colour in the picture of understanding. I certainly found this with the SWS program.
  • Winemaker, Unsworth Vineyards
  • WSET Level 3, Champagne Master Level
Congratulations to Dan Wright, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Dan: I am the winemaker of Unsworth Vineyards in the newly minted sub-region of the Cowichan Valley within the burgeoning wine region of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. We produce numerous wine...

Andrew Lincoln, SWS

Andrea Mcewan SWS
  • I use the knowledge I’ve gleaned from SWS everyday when I’m working the tasting room floor...my SWS experience has made me better at my job.
  • Wine Education Lead, Artesa Vineyards and Winery
  • WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Andrew Lincoln, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Andrew: I currently work in the industry and was born into a Napa Valley grapegrowing family. After graduating from UC Davis in evolutionary anthropology with a minor in art history, I took...

Istvan Tabor, SWS

Andrea Mcewan SWS
  • I really believe that our enthusiastic SWS instructor, Rick Fisher, made this journey unforgettable for me and the other students.
  • CEO and Owner, Trinety Media Ltd
  • WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar, Champagne Master Level
Congratulations to Istvan Tabor, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Istvan: I have been a wine professional for some years now and am the owner and general manager of a wine-based ‘portfolio’ in Hungary. This includes two online wine magazines, a WSET APP...

Sharmian Duke, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • I have always loved Italian wines and wanted a deeper understanding of them.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar
Congratulations to Sharmian Duke, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Sharmian: I am presently a wine enthusiast but have plans to transition into the wine industry in the new year. I am presently in Health Care but my husband and I are moving to the Okanagan...

Krista Mailey, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • This course has enhanced my love of great Italian wine paired with my favorite Italian food.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 2, WSET Level 3
Many congratulations to Krista Mailey, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Krista: I am a wine enthusiast from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. After traveling to Tuscany in 2012 I decided that I wanted to learn more about wine. I had taken a few beginner courses...

Joseph Zapata, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS has enhanced my knowledge, forcing me to get out of my comfort zone and study regions I would not have otherwise focused on in that depth.
  • Former Beverage Director for Auberge Resort Collection, Solage Napa Valley
  • CWE, CSW (SWE), Certified Sommelier
Congratulations to Joseph Zapata, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Joseph: Experienced wine professional with a career that began as a sales associate at top independent wine retailer K&L Wine Merchants. From K&L I moved on to become an assistant wine buyer...

Matthew Citriglia, SWS

Andrea Mcewan SWS
  • It was an excellent course and, depending on COVID, I plan to launch a SWS course this spring for interested sales consultants.
  • Director of Wine & Spirits Education, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits
  • Master Sommelier, French Wine Scholar
Many congratulations to Matthew Citriglia, SWS for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Matthew: I’ve been in the hospitality and beverage industry for over 40 years. I got my start at the age of fourteen, stocking beer and wine in my dad’s beverage store. My experience...

Tina Isbell, SWS

Andrea Mcewan SWS
  • I can’t wait to share my SWS knowledge with my fabulous group of new & returning travelers.
  • Wine educator, wine tour organizer & leader, retail sales, Vino Hound LLC & Brookhaven Wines
  • WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar, WSG Master Levels: Champagne, Bordeaux, Rhone
Congratulations to Tina Isbell, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Tina: Wine education is my primary passion, for which I started my company Vino Hound. Tastings evolved into international wine tours, which are such a joy to organize and lead. Seeing clients...

Michael Markarian

Andrea Mcewan Champagne
  • Taking the Champagne and Bourgogne ML programs helped deepen my understanding of those regions...house styles, producers, vintages, and winemaking and viticulture practices.
  • Sommelier, Chez Billy Sud
  • Bourgogne Master Level
Congratulations to Michael Markarian, for passing the Champagne Master Level exam with highest honors! About Michael: I work as a sommelier at Chez Billy Sud, a classic French bistro in the historic Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. I previously lived and studied in Tuscany, and have a...

Maxime Dubois, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • It’s been a great adventure to prepare for it, and I really enjoyed both the manual and the online resources!
  • Marketing Strategy Manager / Wine Educator, Celliers d’Asie / Red Apron
  • WSET Level 3, Introductory Sommelier Certificate, Certified Sommelier
Congratulations to Maxime Dubois, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Maxime: My passion for wine came quite late. Although French, I came from the part of the country dominated by apples, home of Calvados and (perhaps) the best cider in the World: Normandy. As...

Luigia (Erh-Shan) Tsai, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • I really love the textbook...although I’ve passed the exam, I’ll still use this book as a guide.
  • Brand Ambassador, Treasury Wine Estates
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Luigia(Erh-Shan) Tsai, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Luigia: I’ve been working in the wine industry for 12 years since 2008, at the beginning I didn’t know anything about wine and I thought I could still do that job well (as a marketer)...

Mariana Peres, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The information and material provided is amazing!
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Mariana Peres, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Mariana: I am a wine enthusiast, I once heard that studying wine is addictive, I couldn’t agree more!I have passed this year the WSET level 3, I started the French Wine Scholar...

Rich Vanderheiden, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • The FWS course content and instruction was excellent and provided a challenging and rewarding wine experience.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • CSW (SWE), Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1
Congratulations to Rich Vanderheiden, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Rich: I am Rich Vanderheiden from Scottsdale Arizona and a wine enthusiast. My wine passion and journey began in the 1970’s in the State of Nebraska where I was a bartender and wine...

Christopher Jon Pares, IWS

Andrea Mcewan IWS
  • Italy was my weakest point, and now it’s my favorite wine country! I also can’t wait to work with a more Italian-focused wine list.
  • Sommelier, Oceana
  • Certified Sommelier, French Wine Scholar
Congratulations to Christopher Jon Pares, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Christopher: I’m a native New Yorker, and a server in Manhattan restaurants since 2008. In 2011, I met a Sommelier at work for the first time—it was a job I didn’t know existed—and...

Jenny Landers, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • I absolutely loved zooming in on France with the FWS, and really enjoyed the Wine Scholar Guild format.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Jenny Landers, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Jenny: I am a wine enthusiast. I have had a love for wine most of my adult life. Years ago, when I moved from NYC to Seattle, I fell in love with the wineries and tasting rooms of WA state....

Sudhakaran Ram, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • I was absolutely thrilled with the program...I thoroughly enjoyed the class and the history and details of AOC, grapes, terroir and food.
  • Wine Enthusiast
Many congratulations to Sudhakaran Ram, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Sudhakaran: I have been a wine enthusiast for a long time (over 25 years). I have always been fascinated with food/wine/liquors and spend a lot of time reading about this and exploring...

Nanci Teruko Inamura, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • I think the FWS program is more complete...You plunge into the history, and everything related to each region.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Nanci Teruko Inamura, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Nanci: I am a wine enthusiast. Since I started drinking wine, I always wanted to study the subject to better understand the flavors, the winemaking process, climate, soils and...

Antonio Bueno Villar, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • FWS opened to me a brand-new world of knowledge about French wines. Specially it drove me to pay more attention to less-known French AOCs.
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • WSET Level 3
Congratulations to Antonio Bueno Villar, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Antonio: I’m just a wine enthusiast. No relationship with the wine industry whatsoever as a Full Professor of Physics. I think wine and physics share many common points in what...

Monica Townsend, SWS

Andrea Mcewan SWS
  • My credential as a Spanish Wine Scholar will further my career by demonstrating to any potential employers and clients that I am a trusted resource for the region of Spain and its culture of wine.
  • Maison Nico, Sommelier
  • Certified Sommelier, WSET Level 2
Congratulations to Monica Townsend, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Monica: In 2007, I was a senior in college working as a hostess in a fine-dining restaurant. Each night was a frenzy of moving parts which had the appearance of a finely-tuned orchestra...

Hanying Wang, FWS

Andrea Mcewan FWS
  • FWS program is an excellent source for learning the viticulture history, winemaking style about every single region in France.
  • Vintage Winemaker, Wynns Coonawarra
  • WSET Levels 2 & 3
Congratulations to Hanying Wang, FWS, for passing the French Wine Scholar exam with highest honors! About Hanying: I started my career graduating with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology degree with The University of Adelaide last year, and I have also completed WSET level 2 & 3 during my...