SACRAMENTO—This week, members of the D.C.-based Society of Wine Educators are meeting in Sacramento, Calif., to grow their knowledge in the world of wine. With more than 300 participants, the three-day event covers the world of wine from winemaking in California by the great Napa winemaker Jack Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars
—who opened the event on Wednesday—to wine education from across the pond in the UK presented by the world-renowned wine expert and author, Jancis Robinson.

Other sessions cover: Do points matter?, Chilean wine, Greek wines, Alsatian wines, blind tasting, and more. Details of some of these sessions will appear here in the D.C. Examiner during the next few days.

The Society is largely an association for the wine professional and those interested in becoming one. They offer highly respected industry certifications in wine education, which involve joining the association and purchasing a study guide. After a period of self-study, students take tests to become Certified Specialists of Wine (CSW), Certified Wine Educators (CWE), and/or Certified Specialists of Spirits (CSS).

Next summer, D.C.- area residents will have the opportunity to attend the Society’s annual meeting without the cost of travel because the event will take place in D.C. You can join the Society to attend the meeting as a member or as guest.

The Society offers just one of the many great serious wine education opportunities in D.C. Among them are (in alphabetical order):

Capital Wine School. Owned and operated by D.C.’s only Masters of Wine, Jay Youmans, the Capital Wine School offers professional training and certification accredited by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a globally recognized certification organization for wine industry professionals headquartered in the United Kingdom. WSET is the organization that helps prepare students to take the tests to become a Master of Wine. Jay also offers a host of interesting and fun classes on wine tasting and appreciation. Because of his depth of knowledge and down-to-earth approach, Jay’s presentations are among the best in town. The Capital Wine School is also offering a class to assist students in earning the Society of Wine Educators’ CSW certification.

GiraMondo Wine Adventures.  Headquartered in Maryland, GiraMondo Wine Adventures offers wine classes for

beginners as well as a host of social activities in locations around the city.  They also offer professional wine development seminars for industry professionals, and they have very interesting wine business development program, which is quite unique.

International Sommelier Guild. The International Sommelier Guild offers training mostly for individuals interested in working in the restaurant industry. The classes are intensive and include day-long weekend seminars over a six month time frame. Classes are offered around the globe, including some in Arlington, Virginia.

Society of Wine Educators: Of course, this group is already noted, but don’t forget to check out their website.

Sommelier Wine and Food Society: Classes offered by Rob Stewart and Lisa Chedister focus largely on tasting and understanding the wines in addition to providing an overview of the wine regions. These classes are among some of the most enjoyable serious wine learning experiences in D.C. As Lisa pours the wines and provides helpful insights, Rob details the region, the flavors, and offers tantalizing notes on how to pair each wine with the perfect dish (and he tells how to prepare those gourmet meals as well). The classes also offer opportunities to taste some fantastic wines at all price points—including the premium ones from places like Bordeaux or Italy’s Piedmont. Some of the wines include well-aged treats that appear to be pulled from Stewart's personal cellar. The Society offers eight-week classes as well one-night sessions at prices that are reasonable given the quality program and wines tasted (11-15 per class). For information on the courses, contact the Stewarts at 703-685-7970 or winehead@earthlink.net.

Washington Wine Academy: The Washington Wine Academy offers all levels of education about wine and spirits. It includes basic education for the average consumer, wine tasting social events, and intensive wine study. It was first the D.C. organization to offer professional training and certification for the WSET accreditations, and is the first to offer the two-year wine diploma course—the WSET program that helps prepare students for the Masters of Wine test. Until recently, students had to travel to Philadelphia to take these diploma classes.