Have
you been thinking about wine certification? Have you been thinking about taking the
Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Exam from the Society of Wine Educators - but don't know where to
start? Let Savant Wines show you how!
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a six week course
(21 hours), based exclusively on the CSW Study Guide and Lesson Plans. Class topics include: the major wine producing
regions of the world, viticulture, grape varieties, the composition of wine, wine production and tasting technique.
Each class meeting includes a structured wine tasting along with instruction on core grape varieties, as presented in the
CSW Study Guide. The objective of this course is to thoroughly review the CSW Study Guide and prepare students for taking
the CSW Exam.
COURSE DETAILS - WINTER 2012
DATES: January 16, 2012 – February 20, 2012, 6 Monday Nights
COURSE
MEETING TIMES: 6:15 - 9:45 pm
COURSE LOCATION: Total Wine (Private Room), 1505 Redondo Beach CA 90278
EXAM:
2 exam date options in greater Los Angeles - 3/3/2012 and 6/30/12
COURSE MATERIALS: Course materials begin shipping out to students on 12/1/11
REGISTER
BY MAIL & PAY-BY-CHECK: See information
below
COURSE DETAILS - SUMMER 2012
DATES: August 13,
2012 – September 24, 2012, 6 Monday Nights (no class 9/3/12)
COURSE MEETING TIMES: 6:15 - 9:45 pm
COURSE LOCATION: Total Wine (Private Room),
1505 Redondo Beach CA 90278
EXAM: 2 exam date options in greater Los Angeles - 10/6/12 and 12/1/12
COURSE MATERIALS: Course materials begin shipping out to students
on 7/1/12
COURSE FEES - course fees include:
- Class
Meetings & Online Support: $435
- Course material delivered via PowerPoint presentation
- Wine
tasting and instruction, 6 wines per meeting
- Access to private online course folders with additional
resources for exam preparation
- Course Materials & Exam: $300
- Society of
Wine Educators CSW Study Guide: 254-page reference manual
- Society of Wine Educators CSW Lesson Plans:
112-page exercise workbook
- Course Guide: course lecture outlines with key terms
- Society
of Wine Educators CSW Exam: 100 questions, multiple choice
- Exam Administration Fees: $50
- Total
$785
* Course fees do not include membership to
the Society of Wine Educators. Annual membership fees start at $40. Please see the Society
of Wine Educators website for more information.
INSTRUCTOR
Shelby Ledgerwood, CWE, is the owner of Savant Wines - a wine education
and consulting company based in Southern California. She has worked in the food and wine industries for over 20 years,
where she regularly conducts wine education seminars for luxury hotels, restaurants, retailers and wine distribution companies.
Shelby is a senior instructor in the Wine Education and Management Program at UCLA Extension and a former Academic
Instructor of wine at The California School of Culinary Arts (Le Cordon Bleu). Shelby Ledgerwood is
a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) with the Society of Wine Educators and wrote her first exams for the Master of Wine in 2008.
She holds credentials from numerous wine organizations such as: The Court of Master Sommeliers, The Wine and Spirits Education
Trust, The Wine Academy of Spain, L’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux and L’Ecole du Vin de Bourgogne.
AFFILIATION
This course is given by Savant
Wines and is not affiliated with the Society of Wine Educators, UCLA Extension or Total Wine.
CSW Exam topics are the heart of this course – however, to the best of the instructor’s knowledge, no exam questions
will be directly discussed.
ABOUT THE CSW EXAM
The Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW)
wine certification is earned by passing the Society of Wine Educator’s CSW Exam. The exam comprises of 100 multiple-choice
questions that come exclusively from the CSW Study Guide. The CSW certification is a well-respected achievement in the
wine industry - thus, it requires dedication, commitment and significant effort on the part of the student to earn a passing
grade. While every effort will be made to clearly explain the concepts and information in the CSW Study Guide, there
is no guarantee that students of this course will pass the CSW Exam. Please visit the SWE for more information about
the CSW Exam:
COURSE & EXAM PREPARATION
This course has limited seats and is only offered two
times per year for the public. This is not an introductory wine course. Students should have a solid base of wine
knowledge prior to registering for this course. Aside from class meetings students should plan to spend 5-10 hours per
week reviewing course materials. To best prepare for the exam, students should be familiar with the course materials
PRIOR to the course start-date. Course Materials ship out to students approximately 14 days after receipt of registration
and confirmation of shipping information. I recommend that examinees plan to spend 15-20 hours per week for 8-10 weeks
preparing for the CSW Exam. The actual amount of time needed, will depend on each student's base of wine knowledge.
According to the Society of Wine Educators, most students spend 6 months preparing to take this exam and the current pass
rate for first-time examinees is 58%.
REFUNDS
The Course Materials ($240) are non-refundable
once they have shipped to the student. The remaining Course Fees are refundable up until 21 days prior to course start-date,
minus a $75 cancellation fee. Cancellation requests must be received in writing, 21 days prior to the course start-date.
There are no refunds when there are less than 21 days prior to the course start-date. However, your Course Fees are
FULLY transferable to another person for the same course. As well, if you miss a class meeting, you are welcome to make
it up the next time the course is offered. If Savant Wines cancels the course, all Course Fees will
be refunded, minus $240 for the Course Materials (if they have been shipped out to the student.)
REGISTER BY MAIL &
PAY-BY-CHECK
Please
follow the link below to download the form to register by mail and pay by check. If you wish to receive your Course Materials earlier than the dates
noted above, you must register by mail and pay by check.
Registration for the course is limited; please notify us by email if you intend to register by mail. Payment made by
personal check must arrive no later than 2 weeks prior to course start-date. Please contact us if you have any questions.
