Martignetti Companies is pleased to provide a series of wine education classes to its employees and trade professionals. Led by our Corporate Wine Educator, Len Presutti (CWE), these courses and certification are designed to further empower our team, supplier partners and customers in the field, regardless of their current wine industry knowledge.
Below is a summary of our different course levels and certifications. Customers, please contact your Sales Representative concerning participation.
Wine Basics Course
The purpose of the Basics Class is to make one totally wine literate. Although no prior knowledge is required, virtually every aspect of wine will be discussed, with an eye to sales and marketing. This course has eight sessions, each consisting of an hour long exploration of a wine related subject such as wine and food matching, viticulture, and restaurant wait staff training, as well as in-depth discussions on specific wine regions followed a wine tasting from that region.
All classes start promptly at 6:30PM at the Martignetti Companies offices in Norwood (975 University Avenue, Norwood, MA) and are taught by our Corporate Wine Educator, Len Presutti, CWE (Certified Wine Educator, Society of Wine Educators).
Class Schedule
Collegiate Wine Course
This course is specially designed for those who have a solid foundation in wine, desiring to update and expand their knowledge. We will use the excellent Exploring Wine 3rd Edition, an 800 page tomb updated within the last year. We will use this text as a springboard to launch into discussions of major wine regions and topics.
Classes will meet once a month and be approximately two and a half hours in duration, starting promptly at 6:00PM. We will taste wines and review topics such as wine production and viticulture, wine regions of Europe, North America and the Southern Hemisphere and the business of wine.
Class Schedule
Advanced Wine Course
This class is aimed at those with very good wine knowledge and skills who wish to stay current with recent developments in the field, as well as deepen their understanding of our portfolio of wines and the regions from which they come.
This exclusive year-long course includes 12 monthly two-hour long sessions and is limited to 12 students.
In this course, we review in-depth topics such as viticulture, modern wine technology, wine tasting methodologies, wine and health, wine composition and chemistry.
There will be required reading, both of handouts and textbooks:
Required Reading:
Biodynamic Wine, Demystified, by Nicolas Joly
The New France; A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine, by Andrew Jefford
The World Atlas of Wine (Sixth Edition), by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson
Terrior: The Role of Geology, Climate and Culture in the Making of Wine, by James E. Wilson
Suggested Reading
Essential Winetasting, by Michael Schuster
To Your Health… The Science of Healthy Drinking, by Gene Ford
Understanding Wine Technology; The Science of Wine Explained, by David Bird (Chartered Chemist and Master of Wine)
Class Schedule
Certified Specialist of Wine Study Course
The Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Exam is a rigorous exam, which tests a candidate's wine knowledge and mastery of key elements within the worlds of viticulture and wine production. This certification is widely recognized and regarded by the international wine and spirits industry.
This six-session study course is designed to prepare you for the CSW Exam, which consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. All question content is drawn exclusively from the CSW Study Guide, which is the only required reading for this course. The study courses are held in the Martignetti Companies offices in Norwood and Holyoke. CSW Certification is granted by the Society of Wine Educators, one of the preeminent certifying bodies in the field of wine education for which Martignetti Companies is the official testing center in Massachusetts.
Although study courses are currently only offered for the CSW exam, the Society of Wine Educators has three different levels of certification, the CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine), CSS (Certified Specialist of Spirits) and the CWE (Certified Wine Educator). Opportunities to take any of these exams in Massachusetts occur twice a year at the Martignetti Companies Facility in Norwood.
Class Schedule