WSET and Texas Wine Ambassador Certification Classes Start in March and April for Any Level of Wine Education
HYE, TEXAS (March 30, 2023) – William Chris Wine Co. (WCWC) is proud to announce the opening of the William Chris Wine School with WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) classes starting this month and a new Texas Wine Ambassador Certification course starting in April. In an effort to not only educate their Wine Ambassadors but to also help provide a local place to educate industry peers and fellow wine enthusiasts across the Hill Country, WCWC sought to become an Approved Programme Provider for WSET courses. WCWC is also the first winery in Texas to become a provider of these courses.
“What we are offering at this school are not just classes, but educational experiences designed to inspire,” said Director of Education Kelsey Kramer. “WSET courses are designed to inspire and empower anyone looking to develop their wine knowledge—regardless of prior experience, and from enthusiasts to professionals. So, we encourage anyone to sign up for our WSET courses no matter their current level of wine knowledge.”
Their WSET Level 1 Award in Wines courses are in a vineyard setting, making it the only course of its kind in Texas to be a fully immersive among-the-vines experience. This course is recommended for those who are just starting in wine or wine tasting, and no prior knowledge is required for this certification class. Topics covered include: vineyard and winemaking choices, principal grape varieties and their characters, select regional styles of wine, and tasting. Classes are currently scheduled for April 15 and May 15 and are open for registration now.
The WSET Level 2 Award in Wines course is more rigorous, with participants tasting wine from around the world, learning both wine theory and tasting accompanied by over 40 wine samples from multiple countries and wine regions. During this course, students will attend several sessions of lectures and tastings, with opportunities to discuss core ideas and develop tasting skills with an instructor. Topics covered include: grape-growing options based on environmental factors, winemaking choices based on 30 principal grape varieties and growing environment, styles and quality levels of select wine regions of the world, and tasting of common styles of wine. Classes are scheduled for May and June, with another course that runs in July.
“Over half of our team has passed successfully through WSET Level 2 Award in Wines. Our ultimate goal, as always, is to increase the standard of knowledge for those in the Texas wine industry. Anyone who participates in a course with us supports this goal and the future success of the industry as a whole,” said Kramer.
While Texas wine is not yet included in the curriculum for these WSET courses, the information and skills learned and practiced in the WSET format help participants truly appreciate the unique character of regional wines and the varieties and nuances that make them special.
In addition to WSET classes, the William Chris Wine School will offer a Texas Wine Ambassador Certification course, which is exclusively offered through WCWC and was created to support and sustain a region during its era of explosive growth. This one-of-a-kind course takes attendees from the basics of what wine is to the depths of Texas soils, with the goal of impacting others with Texas-grown wine in a concise and meaningful way. Every Texas Wine Ambassador will gain the skills needed to combat the misconceptions about Texas wine, identify the core themes of growing grapes within the state, and how to enhance these wines through service. The first certification course will take place on April 22.
For more information on the William Chris Wine School and to register for upcoming classes, please visit
http://www.williamchriswines.
About William Chris Wine Company
William Chris Wine Company (WCWC) was founded in October 2020 by William Chris Vineyards’ Chris Brundrett and Lost Draw’s Andrew Sides. After many years of working closely together as partners in various projects and peers in Texas winemaking, Andrew and Chris merged their businesses and teams to create William Chris Wine Company. Their shared vision of elevating the Texas Wine industry and cultivating a place where future leaders in the industry can develop and grow their careers has been a driving force behind their mission. William Chris Wine Company is vineyard-driven, taking a farming-first approach to our process, which produces higher-quality wine that uplifts the Texas Wine industry. WCWC is the parent company of the William Chris Vineyards (est. 2008), Lost Draw (est. 2012), Skeleton Key (est. 2015), Grower Project (est. 2015), and Uplift (est. 2022) brands, and is the leading producer of Texas-grown wines. For more information, please visit williamchriswines.com.
