Yo. Don’t ask why yo. Just yo. Yo—I gotta study for my WSET Diploma (D1) exam. One thing that really helped me pass my Level 3 exam was writing posts that simulated questions I could expect to see on the exam. So, that’s what the next (several) posts will be. Interspersed with wine notes (probably). My first exam is in one month. On my birthday no less. So…help me study? Thanks.
[Information based on DipWSET D1 material]
As a member of the trade/media, I do get a lot of press releases. And I’ve promised in the past to only share the ones that are relevant to you. This one totally is. Now, I know in the “age of COVID” (oh geez, let that not become how children study us…) there are a lot of virtual this-thats. But I’m here to tell you that these educational webinars from Emeritus are legit. I’ve already sat in on three, diving deep into the Russian River Vally AVA sub-zones, how soil type and climate affect vine development, the attributes of different Pinot Noir clones.
Viewers get a triple threat perspective from Emeritus Winemaker David Lattin, Vineyard Manager Kirk Lokka, and Emeritus’s second-generation President Mari Jones. They each have their own area of expertise they lend to each topic. What I particularly love about these webinars is that they are actually interactive. Viewers are encouraged to type in their questions and, I can say from experience, they answer them in a personal way, making you feel like you’re having an intelligent one-on-one conversation.
I want to make another note here: although the title suggests this is for wine professionals, I want to encourage anyone who’s seriously interested in wine (like on a nerd level) or is studying wine in any capacity (be it your degree in viticulture, advanced sommelier credential, WSET, etc) to tune in. You won’t regret it. I also encourage other wineries/wine brands who are interested in creating a webinar series to take a look at how these are conducted—professional, but fun and engaging. This is how to attract media attention from both industry pros and consumers alike.
Ok, I think I’ve waxed on poetically for long enough. Below is the formal press release. Cheers.
[Information based on WSET Level 3 material]
Really bad title, I know. But the thing is that, for WSET Level 3, we don’t really study Hungary as a wine producing region outside of the Tokaj region and the production of Tokaji. So, that will be the focus of this post. 
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Don’t forget about Austria! [Note to self]
[Information based on WSET Level 3 material]
[Information based on WSET Level 3 material]
Greece is one of those wine regions that fascinates me, simply because the tradition of winemaking is so old. I’m one of those people that gets joy out of studying wine because it takes me into different cultures and different cultures’ histories. I kind of wish this section was a bit bigger in the WSET text book. But, I guess that gives me more room to dive deeper either on my own time or, dare I say it, in pursuit of my WSET Diploma??
Interestingly, I was listening to a podcast interviewing a winemaker from Greece, and he said that around 2008 or 2009, the Greek wine industry collectively decided to market three key grape growing regions that each have a specific wine grape associated with them. This, they thought, would be easier for consumers to digest, instead of bombarding them with the 200 grape varieties native to the country—not to mention the scattered plantings of international varieties as well.