Last year I was one of 35 wine professionals selected to participate in VinePair's trade-only French Wine Expert program, presented by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Taste France.
The rigorous competition consisted of a whirlwind 2-day refresher course on Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Beaujolais and Crémant. The webinars were led by top producers and guest sommeliers. From key grapes and soil types, to climate and environmental initiatives, our brains and palates were expanded beyond belief.
The exam took place in December. It was a timed online test with only 15 seconds (yikes!) to answer each question. The questions were worth a randomized-amount of points with a perfect score being 6,000 points. The Top 4 scorers were profiled in VinePair and went on to participate in the Text a Wine Pro campaign where they worked paid shifts providing wine knowledge, food pairing tips, and more to curious wine consumers - just in time for the holidays!
Alas, I was not one of the Top 4, but I was super proud of what I achieved. I even received an online trophy (yes, that's a thing now!) and a “Certificate of Advanced French Wine Knowledge".
