SEATTLE — Seattle-based Cellar Muse is among the world’s first wine schools to launch the Wine Scholar Guild’s new Spanish Wine Scholar certification program for in-class learning and testing.
Launching in October this course will be co-taught by Cellar Muse founder Tanya Morning Star Darling, and fellow educator Ezra Wicks. The Spanish Wine Scholar Certification course offers in-depth study of Spain’s wine-producing regions, covering topics including grape varieties, origin of cultivars, geological exploration, wine cultivation and viticulture, history, regional food traditions and regulations.
The Wine Scholar Guild is an internationally recognized certification body for advanced wine learning. Their programs are the most comprehensive formal study programs available bar none, serving as a point of distinction within the wine trade and among serious wine enthusiasts. Upon passing the Spanish Wine Scholar examination, the scholar receives a diploma and the right to add the post nominals SWS (Spanish Wine Scholar) to their name.
“This program provides an unparalleled level of depth and academic rigor in the study of Spanish wines,” Darling says. “I’m thrilled to offer it through Cellar Muse and to assist students in discovering the unique joy that comes in challenging themselves to develop a new area of specialization.”
Cellar Muse is also the approved provider in Washington State for the Wine Scholar Guild’s French Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar study programs. To complement classroom learning, Darling also leads immersive study trips to wine regions such as France’s Bourgogne, Italy’s Umbria and Tuscany, and California’s Napa Valley and Sonoma County.
Spanish Wine Scholar Study Program Details
- When: 6:00-9:00 p.m. Mondays, October 28-December 16, 2019
- Where: Cepae Tasting Room, 258 106th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
- Cost: $695 tuition, plus a $150 materials fee
- Tuition includes: Six 3-hour classes, one 3-hour review session, certification exam, study manual and Wine Scholar Guild online learning modules
- Exam: 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 5, 2020
- Registration: https://www.cellarmuse.com/events/spanish-wine-scholar-certification-program
About Tanya Morning Star Darling
Tanya has been a wine professional and educator for more than two decades, and has been faculty at the Northwest Wine Academy since 2012. Her love of classical wines — along with her passion for history, nature and gastronomy — inspires her educational approach. Her certifications include the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma, Certified Wine Educator, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, and holds both Bourgogne, and Provence Master Level Diplomas, all with Highest Honors. She is also a Bourgogne Wines Official Ambassador, and she was named French Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year in 2018. Learn more about Tanya and Cellar Muse at www.cellarmuse.com.
About the Wine Scholar Guild
The Wine Scholar Guild provides specialized study and certification programs for the professional development of wine industry members and committed students.
