A WSET Story with WiSP

In December 2023, I had the immense joy of participating in the 3-day WSET Level 2 wine training at the WiSP Campus school in Bordeaux, following a month of e-learning. Then came the immense happiness, intertwined with pride, of obtaining the diploma a few weeks later with Merit.

This program was a natural choice after completing the WSET Level 1 in Wines also with WiSP Campus.

Why Pursue the WSET Level 2 Certification in Wines?

How would this serve me as a Space Harmony Coach for over 13 years through disciplines such as the art of living from Feng Shui or detecting environmental nuisances through Geobiology? As someone living in Brittany, a region more focused on cider than on wine.
To understand this, let’s go back more than 30 years.

SETTLING IN BORDEAUX

When I arrived in 1981 in Talence, on the outskirts of Bordeaux, at the beginning of my studies, I had no idea that a passion for wine and its lands would open up for me. Originally from Brittany, with ancestors who worked the land and more accustomed to cider than to the wines of St. Emilion or Sauternes. And yet… Those 10 years spent in Bordeaux were an extraordinary playground, riding my moped along the châteaux roads on weekends, and later in a 2CV. Then professional life brought me back to Brittany. My participation in the Médocaine mountain bike event and the Vélo Tour of St. Émilion in recent years reminded me of how attached I was to those lands.

THE LOVE OF HERITAGE

Since I was young, built heritage has operated a true attraction on me. Whether it’s castles, manors, cathedrals, abbeys, or chapels, whether they are still standing or in ruins, I care little. And when beautiful buildings are combined with vineyard landscapes, it takes on a whole new dimension.

THE TRIGGER: Wine and Terroirs as a Continuous Source of Learning

During a family weekend return to BORDEAUX in early 2023, while I was thinking about the upcoming edition of the Médocaine mountain bike event, the connection clicked in my mind!

1. I have serious skills in my profession and regularly travel in the Greater South-West of France. What drives me daily is transforming my clients’ homes into places of rejuvenation. I practice Feng Shui and Geobiology.
2. I genuinely enjoy spending time in castles and manors, and I have had several opportunities to harmonize such buildings, particularly in Brittany and Normandy, often converted in whole or in part into guesthouses or hotels.
3. Wine and its terroirs are for me a continuous source of learning and interest.

What if I dared to combine all these points of interest, to merge them and put this particular profession to work for manors, castles, and vineyards? My eyes sparkle at the thought of putting this project in place.

Step 1: WSET Level 1 in Wines

While I am used to working with businesses, hotels, restaurants, therapists, or professionals, I feel a lack of knowledge about wine, winemaking techniques, and the names of the main grape varieties to implement my project. One day, I discover the existence of WSET, an internationally recognized certification. After researching online, I see the name WiSP Campus in Bordeaux and its serious references presented on the website. The first phone contact convinced me to get started and enroll in the WSET Level 1 in Wines e-learning program with an in-person exam in Bordeaux.

Discovering grape varieties and the basic winemaking techniques for red, white, and rosé wines through the Intranet portal, the quizzes, it was all really well done. Then came the exam in the premises of WiSP Campus Bordeaux.

Step 2: WSET Level 2 in Wines (in French) with WiSP Campus: A Natural Choice

After a few weeks of waiting, I received my grades from Marie and the WSET diploma by mail. My first great pride! I tell myself that my project is far from being meaningless and that everything is possible. A few months go by, but from then on, I already have the desire to move on to the next step, the WSET Level 2, and of course, always with WiSP Campus. Why change? I feel confident; the training is serious and of high quality.

This time, it involves a more substantial learning experience but provides deeper and broader knowledge, allowing me to explore the world of grape varieties. Just that!

Here We Go Again!

I enrolled in the December 2023 session with 1 month of e-learning and 3 days in person in Bordeaux, ending with the exam on the third day. Very quickly, I received my training kit at home, consisting of a substantial and illustrated notebook as well as a small book for the theoretical concepts to acquire before the in-person session. By mid-November, I was eager to access the training Intranet portal and embark on this new challenge. When the time came to go down to Bordeaux for the in-person part, I was just “on fire.” I had validated and revalidated all the quizzes, created revision sheets, and my computer was with me to study in the evenings during these 3 days. From the very first day, welcomed by Marie, it was pure joy to settle in with 12 or 13 other training partners from various geographical areas, but nearly all in fields close to wine or even actually within it: cellar masters, sommeliers, wine tourism journalists, future wine merchants… Then came the joy of getting to know Annabelle, our instructor for this session, with an impressive and extremely comprehensive professional track record that commands respect.

Ready to Start the Session: 3 Dense and Exciting Days Combining Theory and Wine Tastings from Around the World.

I won’t hide from you that these 3 days were truly intense. We learned to taste no less than forty wines over these 3 days: red, white, rosé, but also sparkling and fortified wines.

We traveled the roads of the world to discover slopes and plains planted with wonderful grape varieties and landscapes that genuinely make you want to be transported there: Cabernet, Pinot Noir or Gris, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Chardonnay, Riesling, Chablis, and Sancerre…

In France, of course, detailing each region, but also Spain, Italy, Germany, South Africa, Australia, California, New Zealand, as well as Chile and Argentina.

We talked about noble rot and ice wines, flowering, lees, bâtonnage, aromas, body, acidity, tannins, and so many other terms that had previously been foreign to me. These tasting phases allowed me to confirm my preferences. I truly enjoy tannic red wines – even if it’s not the current trend – sweet whites, and Gewurztraminer with lychee aromas (a wonderful discovery).

At the end of the third day came the fateful moment of the exam in the classroom. Since the afternoon, I felt that nothing else could enter my brain. So, I let go. I remember why I am here: to acquire new knowledge, and that has already been achieved. The cherry on top would be the diploma. Now the die is cast. One last moment together to immortalize this new WSET Level 2 in Wines session.

Since Obtaining My WSET Level 2 in Wines Diploma

My project is underway, and I have already had the great pleasure of working for a wine shop in Pornic, both concerning the shop itself as a space and the determination of vibrational rates and Biovital rates of a selection of wines (Biocide / Biostatic / Bioactive / Biogenic). Some are biodynamic, others are not. Some are under label, and others are not. I also measure the electromagnetic fields present to move the precious bottles and flasks away, at least by 15 or 20 cm, for better energy maintenance. This is typically the type of issue to which I can provide solutions: harmonizing a sales or accommodation area, cellars, storage zones for bottles or barrels, measuring electromagnetic fields indoors or in the fields, harmonizing client areas, everything I love to do, I can do, and what the wine world needs.

And in mid-January 2024, finally, the exam results: passed with Merit. A real encouragement for the future.

And now I say Champagne!

Isabelle ROME, LinkedIn