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ITALIAN WINE SCHOLAR (IWS)

The Italian Wine Scholar® (IWS) program is the industry's most respected wine certification course on the wines of Italy. The syllabus takes a regional approach and discusses all Italian wine appellations and the factors that shape their identities. The program provides committed students of wine with an unparalleled set of study tools designed to maximize learning and boost knowledge retention.

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It was created with the support of the Italian wine DOC/G consortia. The Italian Trade Commission (ITA) endorsed the program in recognition of its exceptional level of depth, accuracy, detail, and academic rigor.

Morning sunlight drone view of a Tuscany winery located in Central Italy

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

There are two separate study manuals and two separate exams. The Italian Wine Scholar® credential and pin is based on the final composite score (Unit 1 & 2).

 

This format makes it much easier to retain information and to pass the exam.

 

Students register for each unit separately. We highly recommend that students complete one unit before moving on to the next.

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Note: Unit 1 & 2 can be taken in any order.

 

UNIT 1: WINES OF NORTHERN ITALY

  • Valle d’Aosta

  • Lombardia

  • Piemonte

  • Trentino

  • Alto Adige

  • Veneto

  • Friuli-Venezia Giulia

  • Liguria

  • Emilia-Romagna ā€‹

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UNIT 2: WINES OF CENTRAL & SOUTHERN ITALY

  • Toscana

  • Marche

  • Lazio

  • Umbria, Abruzzo & Molise

  • Campania

  • Calabria

  • Puglia & Basilicata

  • Sicilia

  • Sardegna

ABOUT THE IWS EXAM

The exam is given in multiple-choice format and conducted in-person. For each unit, there are 100 questions covering all of respective wine regions of Italy.

 

To become an Italian Wine Scholar and receive the IWS credential, candidates need to pass the exams for Unit 1 and Unit 2 with a composite score of 75%. The scores from both exams are added together and averaged for final assessment.

 

Passing score is 75.

Candidates scoring 85-90.5 pass with HONORS.

Candidates scoring 91-100 pass with HIGHEST HONORS.

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In order to prepare properly for the IWS exam, you must read and study the IWS manual carefully. At first, it may seem a daunting body of knowledge to tackle… but we would like to give you a few tips.

 

WHAT FACTS ARE IMPORTANT? :

  • Pay close attention to superlatives (biggest, smallest, highest, lowest, newest, oldest, youngest). Note the facts associated with words such as “first” and “last.” They make for good exam questions.

  • Learn the Italian wine terms and their English equivalents.

  • Know your soils, geography, mountains and rivers.

  • Know your grapes and their synonyms.

  • Become conversant in Italy’s DOC(G)s and the primary grape(s) grown within their confines.

  • Know your history and the key individuals who have figured prominently in the development of the wine culture of any given region.

  • Study the specifics of wine production for white, rosé, red, sparkling, late-harvest, and passitos.

  • Study your maps. You need to know where the wine regions and their DOC(G)s are located.

  • Pay attention to the need-to-know icons. The exam is comprehensive. It will cover all the wine regions of Italy. This means you must study everything!

CERTIFICATION

Wine professionals and enthusiasts who successfully pass the certification exam will be awarded with a IWS lapel pin and certificate, along with the right to incorporate the IWS post-nominal (e.g. John Smith, IWS) into your professional signature as a point of distinction midst your peers. 

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In addition, the IWS credential has true international recognition with a school network encompassing 30 countries on five continents.

COURSE PACKAGE

Course includes:

  1. Italian Wine Scholar Student Membership
    (note: this is NOT a Professional Membership).

  2. Italian Wine Scholar Study Manual.

  3. Learning objectives for each Italian wine regions.

  4. All administration and examination fees for one in-person exam sit (100 multiple choice questions).

 

Value added elements include:ā€‹

1. Tutoring session notes for effective exam preparation. 2. Tutoring schedule with reading assignments. 3. Selected quizzes for enhanced learning. 4. IWS program consultation and communication platform (WhatsApp group chat). 5. One session of IWS program briefing. 6. Minimum 8 sessions of scheduled online tutoring sessions. 7. Curated range of wines in line with the topic of the scheduled guided wine tasting sessions.

IWS Unit 2 manual
IWS Unit 1 manual
italian-wine-scholar-unit-2-manual
italian-wine-scholar-unit-1-manual
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IWS manual features
IWS Unit 1 & 2 manual covers
IWS manual preview
IWS manual preview

For more details on the IWS course, download our brochure. To inquire about course fees and schedule, please reach out to us through our chat or by filling out the contact form. We are here to assist you!

Gianmaria Trenti

Winemaker at Edmund Mach Foundation in Trentino

“Thanks to its complex orogenesis, topography and climatic variation, Italy boasts a combination of distinct terroirs and the largest number of indigenous grape varieties—some well-known and established, others lesser-known and even endangered. Through the comprehensive Italian Wine Scholar manuals, the student of Italian wine is able to dive deeply into the diverse world of the wines of Italy and appreciate how the vine is intrinsically part of the Italian landscape and deeply rooted in Italian culture."
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