Support the Glancy Wine Education Scholarship Fund (GWEF)

by | Oct 13, 2019

Grape Experience is a proud supporter of San Francisco Wine School’s Glancy Wine Education Scholarship Fund (GWEF), which provides scholarships to low income students looking to start or advance a career in wine or hospitality. Next month is the foundation’s 2019 Luxury Wine Anniversary and Scholarship Auction event on November 2 – an evening of of great wine, food, a hilarious Somm Smackdown, and auction of incredible items and experiences, all benefiting the GWEF.

In anticipation of the event, we sat down with David Glancy MS, Founder and CEO of San Francisco Wine School and of the GWEF, to find out more about his passion for wine and education. 

Q: What inspired you to enter the wine industry?

A: My love of food got me into restaurants at age 15, washing dishes, bussing tables and then working as a prep cook and baker by 16. I majored in Hotel & Restaurant Management at Michigan State and transitioned into hotel front desk management and eventually back into restaurants on the dining room management side. My passion for wine exploded when I sold a lot of wine managing a restaurant in Macau China. After returning to the US and managing a night club and American, French and Italian restaurants I realized my favorite part of the job was managing the wine programs, selling wine to customers and training the staff.

Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching wine?

A: I love when I can see someone’s passion for wine, food and travel really take off. It is especially gratifying when they blossom into professionals whether opening wine bars, launching their career in restaurants, taking off to work harvest across the world, traveling to multiple wine regions, winning competitions, earning credentials and especially when I get to see them expressing their passions with others.

Q: Why do you think wine educational courses are useful?

A: Classes and credentials are not the only way to learn and move up in the industry but the structure of many certification programs shows students a path to what to learn and how. The journey of studying, tasting and passing exams gives students the courage to pursue new challenges. And the credentials themselves open the doors for many professional opportunities. The credentials also help employers evaluate what potential employees know. As people continue in their careers pursuing more credentials, along with tasting, traveling and working in the wine trenches are all ways pros challenge themselves, grow and continuously improve.

Q: Do you have any educational resources you’d recommend to students? (i.e. books, websites)?

A: I have always considered Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course to be the best starting point. Madeline Puckett does a great job making wine easy to understand on WineFolly.com. Karen MacNeil’s Wine Bible and everything ever written by Jancis Robinson are great for taking wine studies to the next level. Society of Wine Educator’s blog 

WineWitAndWisdomSWE.com, GuildSomm.com, and WineBusiness.com are great ways to stay up-to-date.

Q: What’s your desert island wine?

A: CHAMPAGNE, fool, and lots of it. And I’ll need an oyster knife.2017_SF_Wine_School-2275

Hope to see you in November! Special Early Bird pricing of $295 is available now through October 15.

The Awesome New WSET Diploma in Wine starts August 3

by | Jul 7, 2019

Q&A with Grape Experience educator and DipWSET Matthew Gaughan on why the WSET Diploma is a must for wine trade professionals.

What were you doing when you started the Diploma and where are you now?

I started the Diploma in Manchester in the UK when I was working for Hangingditch Wine Merchants, an independent wine shop and bar. Later that year, I moved to California and finished the Diploma with Grape Experience in San Francisco. Taking the Diploma in two different countries opened me up to varied wine cultures and approaches to selling and drinking wine. Now I teach WSET for Grape Experience – it’s been quite a journey from student to educator.

How has the Diploma impacted your professional career?

In a very literal sense, I know so much more about wine than when I started the Diploma. That means I can speak to students and customers at the wine shop I work with authority – that builds up respect and trust. I can also apply that wine to so many aspects of my career in wine – buying wine, writing about wine, educating, and even when I travel. If I hadn’t taken the Diploma, it really would have limited my possibilities in the wine industry – and my enjoyment of working in it.

What would you say to individuals who are considering taking on the course? Any words of advice?

My advice is always: make sure you give yourself enough time to study and don’t get side-tracked by tasting. The theory is more difficult. I’ve actually set up a podcast, Matthew’s World of Wine and Drink, with episodes specifically designed to address theory topics that many of my students have found helpful. Diploma is all about demonstrating your understanding of the subject – if you can explain a topic to friends, family, or colleagues, then you will be able to do it in an exam no problem. Practice, practice, practice.

Are you excited about the changes to the Diploma?

The new Diploma is really going to help students get the most out of the course. What’s expected of students is much clearer – that it’s not just about the “what,” it’s about applying and explaining your knowledge. I’m looking forward to teaching it in August and seeing how it works in practice. I think students and educators alike are going to benefit greatly from the changes.

If you have passed your WSET Level 3 Wine and would like to embark on the new Diploma in Wine don’t wait.  The new materials are available now and the first section, “Wine Production,” meets August 3-4 in San Francisco.  You want to have time to read the incredible new Diploma textbook before class.  Register at this link:  D1 & D2 – San Francisco Traditional Course