IWS Unit 1 covers 8 regions of Northern Italy: Piemonte, Valle d’Aosta, Liguria, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige, and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Each regional chapter in the manual contains concise yet comprehensive information about the history, culture, topography, and viticulture of the area. All the significant grape varieties and appellations of the region are discussed, along with detailed maps, graphs, representative wine labels, and images. In addition, the Foundation Chapter, which applies to both units, provides a detailed overview of the history, topography, and wine laws of Italy.

Six three-hour in-person sessions at the New York Wine School will provide review, discussion, and elaboration of key material while learning and comprehension will be reinforced by tasting 8-10 representative wines during each class. Learn, taste and share insights with a group of committed colleagues!

Students will receive PDF copies of the slides for each session.

To complement the manual and classroom experience, enrolled students will have 1-year access to the IWS Unit 2 online study program with multimedia E-learning modules, review quizzes for self-evaluation, instructor Q&A forum for personal assistance, and downloadable maps.

Supplemental materials include: Learning Objectives for each region, sample exam questions, appendices, Glossary of Terms.

• Tuition: $1,075

• 20 hours of instruction

• 6 in-person seminars with 8-10 selected representative wines per class

• 2 live Zoom webinars, Introduction and Final Review

• 218-page full color Italian Wine Scholar study manual Unit 1 Northern Italy

• 1-year online access to the Italian Wine Scholar Unit 1 study program for class preparation and review

Final Exam
Once units 1 and 2 have been successfully passed with a median score of at least 75%, you will receive the Italian Wine Scholar certificate, lapel pin, and post nominal as verification of your mastery of Italian wine.

Autumn 2023 — October 2 to November 16

Course consists of two Zoom meetings at the beginning and end, six in-person seminars with slides and a tasting of 8 regional wines, and an in-person Final Exam approximately one month after the last class.

Session 1: Oct 2 3:00-4:00 Welcome, Introduction and Overview ZOOM*

Session 2: Oct 9 2:00-5:00 Toscana

Session 3: Oct 16 2:00-5:00 Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo & Molise

Session 4: Oct 23 2:00-5:00 Marche & Puglia

Session 5: Oct 30 2:00-5:00 Campania & Basilicata

Session 6: Nov 6 2:00-5:00 Sardegna & Calabria

Session 7: Nov 13 2:00-5:00 Sicilia

Session 8: Nov 16 3:00-4:30 Final Review ZOOM*

Session 9: Dec 18 4:00-5:00 Final Exam In-Person Classroom

With the exception of the two Zoom sessions, all classes and the final exam will take place in-person in our classroom at Banville Wine Merchants

*Zoom sessions will be recorded and accessible to students.

Banville Wine Merchants
126 East 38th Street
between Park and Lexington Ave.
New York, NY

The final exam of IWS U2 will be given in-person in our classroom at Banville Wine Merchants one month after the end of the course. The exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions with one hour to complete the exam. You must have a minimum of 75 correct answers out of 100 to pass the exam.

To achieve the Italian Wine Scholar certificate, you must have a minimum median score of 75% on both Unit 1 and Unit 2 exams. Students with a median score of 85-90.5% pass with Honors while those who pass with a median score pf 91-100% pass with Highest Honors.

In addition to substantially increasing your knowledge and understanding of Italian wine, obtaining Italian Wine Scholar (IWS) certification demonstrates your comprehensive knowledge, amplifies your resume and augments credibility in the wine trade.