All I can say is that I really wish I could attend this program next month. What a great opportunity!
American Sommelier has condensed its flagship 24-week Viticulture & Vinification Course and is offering it for the first time as a 6-day Intensive in Napa Valley. The course will be held Monday, July 25 through Saturday, July 30 at The Harvest Inn in St. Helena. Tuition is $3,000. “Viti/Vini” is the second of American Sommelier’s three-tier educational program. Recommended for both industry professionals and consumers, the course is a comprehensive look at the growing regions of the world from a sommelier’s perspective. Topics covered include: varieties, regulation, climate, geography, soil, wine-making and grape-growing, economics, and food pairing. Students learn how the details of viticulture & vinification affect a wine and how to apply this knowledge in the hospitality and service industry. The American Sommelier lecture style is designed to help students easily understand, assimilate, and enjoy the material covered. Students leave the course with a wealth of information and a lasting enthusiasm to continue learning. Students will receive a reading list and sample quiz upon registration, with guidelines on where to focus their studies and how best to prepare before classes begin. Each class day consists of a series of region-based lectures paired with wines that illustrate key educational points. The last half hour is reserved for questions and review. Students begin each morning with a 30-minute quiz based on the readings and lectures. A cumulative final exam on the sixth morning is designed to test their ability to synthesize the material. One afternoon will be dedicated to a class field trip to a vineyard and winery, followed by an optional group dinner. Andrew F. Bell, President and CEO of American Sommelier, will be the primary lecturer. Bell is a co-founder of the organization and an educator with more than 12 years of experience. His experiences include working with famed hotelier and restaurateur Bill Kimpton in San Francisco; opening a boutique wine shop Paris’ 6th Arrondissement; working harvest in Arbois for renowned winemaker Frederic Lornet; and serving as number two sommelier at Michelin three-star restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris. Bell is married and has three children—including newborn twins—and lives in New York City. Founded in 1998, American Sommelier is an organization dedicated to supporting the wine professional and to raising the overall level of wine knowledge and awareness in America through wine education. Headquartered in New York City, American Sommelier currently offers three levels of classes, in addition to regular seminars, tastings, and social events. Every two years, American Sommelier hosts the Best Sommelier in America competition