Six Reasons to Take the Specialist of Texas Wine Level 1 Certification Course in February from Russ Kane

In 2023, we have hit another milestone for my Specialist of Texas Wine Certification Course from Houston’s Texas Wine School. Not only have we broken the 200 barrier in terms of certified students for the Level 1 course, but we will be presenting the Level 1 class again in February (Wednesdays 1st, 8th, 15th 7-9p CT and exam on Thursday 16th 7-8p CT) – Click here for details and registration. Also for the first time, we will presenting a new Specialist of Texas Wine Advanced Course starting in April and it will be the only Advanced Texas Wine Course in Texas, in the World and also in the Universe. This is all well and good, but if your going to become certified, why should you take Dr. Russ Kane’s Level 1 certification course?

Here are several good reasons:

1. This class consistently gets top ratings for (a) meeting student’s expectations, course materials were presented effectively, (b) copies of slides and supplemental reference materials in the class Dropbox are useful, (c) presentation materials were of high quality, and (d) excellent classroom environment (even when the course was changed to Live presentations via Zoom Meeting).
2. Students particularly enjoyed learning about the Texas AVAs and how their geological formation, physical geography and climate tie into the viticulture of these regions and also relate them to wine regions of Europe.
3. Via Zoom Meeting, the STW course brings together people from all over the state interested in learning more about Texas wine, and beyond with new certified specialists in Lousiana, Colorado and California.
4. Many are surprised about the depth of wine history and culture in Texas, going back to the Spanish missionaries in the 1600s, followed by, in the 1800s the European emigrant farmer/vintners period and T.V. Munson’s major contribution to solving the European Phylloxera devastation, and the post-Prohibition modern ”pioneering” period.
5. Students find educational and useful the focus on grape varieties in Texas and regional differences followed by interesting guided and interactive wine tastings featuring a selection of Texas wines shipped to students for group tasting during our Zoom classes.
6. OK, one more… It is the only Texas wine certification course that is taught by Doc Russ, known as far away as Australia as “The Texas Wineslinger”, the man who wrote the book on Texas wine; actually, he wrote two of them. A copy of one of Russ’s books, The Wineslinger Chronicles: Texas on the Vine, is provided to each student. This book was featured in Texas Tech University Press’s Grover E. Murray book series – Culture in the American Southwest.

To participate and receive your wines in time for the STW Level 1 certification classes in February, please act now and register online – click here.