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Society of Wine Educators Offers Many Levels of Certification

May 15, 2014-If you are in the wine and spirits trade, you almost certainly know about SWE. But if you are not, but would like to be, or if you are just interested in improving your knowledge of wine and spirits, the Society of Wine Educators may have a program to suit you. Either way, the self-study educational programs are internationally recognized and highly regarded in the industry. Through its certification examinations, the Society of Wine Educators validates wine and spirits knowledge.

There are four levels of certification. Hospitality/Beverage Specialist Certificate (HBSC) is a new program and regarded as entry level. It covers all beverages from wine, spirits, beer, cider, sake through to tea, coffee and even water.

The next two levels earn the letters CSW – Certified Wine Specialist or CSS – Certified Spirits Specialist after your name. Both courses are rigorous and quite demanding. In the case of CSW, this is required in order to move on to the final level of CWE – Certified Wine Educator.

Study guides are available for all the courses together with certain online study options. Check the web site for these details. The Society of Wine Educators is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area, but tests are available all over the country at Pearson Testing Centers, as well as internationally.

Details of what each course covers, the costs, exam schedules and other requirements are available at http://www.societyofwineeducators.org.