I am in the wine industry - run a wine bar and bottle shop. I really would like to get my sommelier cert but I have some scheduling conflicts and am wondering if you know of any courses that would work for me. I am not able to get away from my business that much and I am in a remote location on the Central Oregon coast. Most of the classes are one day a week in a major city. My shop closes for a short time in winter and I am looking for a good, intensive program that I can attend in 2 - 3 weeks in February. I can travel to just about anywhere to do the course during that time. I would like to attend a program rather than doing the self-study (I spend enough time studying on my own). Preferably I would like something that it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 2-3 weeks. I would also like something fairly advanced. Know of anything?

Depending on their scheduling for 2008, the CIA Greystone has the Wine Professional Certification program.

Hi Marsella,

I'm up in Pacific City and am a certified somm running our family restaurant. I believe I might have met you last week in Portland as well. I took the first class at the CIA (St Helena) and the certification test in Seattle. I would check the course dates at CMSto see if anything fits your schedule. Best of luck!

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I would ask a similar question in this one. Can anyone tell me the difference between The Court of Master Sommeliers and International Wine Guild? By that I mean, is one cert better than another? Or is a Certified Sommelier just that, regardless of whoes cert it is?

This question has been bothering me for some months now, as I too would like to get my cert.

Thank you in advance!

I can answer only about Court of Master Sommeliers. To become certified with them, you first take a preliminary exam which they make easy for you to pass. Then to earn certification, you take a similar written exam, blind tasting, and a service component where you are asked to serve the Master Sommeliers champagne or old red decanted wine. They then ask you whatever questions about wines, liquor brand names, mixed drinks, vineyards and vintages that they want to ask.

Thank you John, I live in Denver and here we can take basically the same kind of classes through International Wine Guild. I was just wondering if the two were different, or if as they say, a rose by any other name.

Thanks again!