Monthly Archives: December 2024

The 2025 CSW is Here!

  By admin | December 30, 2024 - 9:16 am | ,
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Cover CSW 2025 Cropped - CopyWhat do all of these items have in common: The Crystal Springs of Napa Valley AVA; an AVA for Beverly, Washington; a new-found respect for the Listán Prieto grape in Argentina; and newly-revised regulations for Austria’s Eisenberg DAC?

Answer: You’ll find all of these updates (and more) in the just-released 2025 version of the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Study Guide and Workbook!

CSW Exam Availability: CSW Exams based on the 2025 edition of the Study Guide will be available at Pearson VUE Testing Centers and via at-home, online proctoring beginning on January 2, 2025. Click here for more information on the timing and availability of CSW exams.

CSW Online Prep Course: Our next instructor-led CSW Online Prep Course is scheduled to begin the week of January 12, 2025. The aim of the prep course is to get attendees “as prepared as humanly possible” for a successful sitting of the CSW Exam. Online prep courses are available, free-of-charge, to Professional members of SWE who have a valid CSW Exam attendance credit.

Addendum: Click here to download a pdf of an addendum listing the substantive changes between the 2024 and 2025 versions of the CSW Study Guide: Addendum – CSW Study Guide 2025

Flashcards and Practice Quizzes: Our popular online flashcards and practice quizzes have also been updated for 2025 (while previous versions remain available as well). The cost for these products is $19 each. Click here for the digital flashcards and practice quizzes. Please note that this is a separate website from the SWE homepage and will require a separate login.

Click here for more information on the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) program.

The CSW Exam may be purchased via the SWE website: Click here to purchase the CSW Exam.

If you have any questions regarding these materials, please contact our Director of Education at jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

American Single Malt Whiskey Earns an Official Designation!

  By admin | December 18, 2024 - 11:15 am |
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As of December 18, 2024, the TTB has (at long last) announced the approval of a new category of American spirit: American Single Malt Whiskey. The rules governing American Single Malt Whiskey—as defined by section 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Standards of Identity of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the United States—are scheduled to go into effect as of January 19, 2025.

Under these rules, American Single Malt Whiskey must be produced using 100% malted barley. The malting process (and all other subsequent production) must occur in the United States; however, there is no requirement that the grain itself be grown in the US.
American Single Malt Whiskey is not allowed to contain flavoring or blending materials. Caramel coloring is allowed, but it must be disclosed on the label (no other coloring agents are permitted).

  • Other requirements for American Single Malt Whiskey include the following:
    • It must be distilled to no more than 160 proof
    • Distillation must occur at a single distillery located in the United States
    • It must be stored in the United States in oak barrels—composed of used oak, charred new oak, or uncharred new oak—with a maximum capacity of 700 liters
    • It must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV

It should be noted that in alignment with other defined styles of American Whiskey, there is no aging requirement beyond the stipulation that American Single Malt Whiskey be stored in oak. In addition, unlike most other specific types of American whiskey (including Bourbon and Rye Whiskey), the producer has the choice of what type of oak (used, charred new, or uncharred new) may comprise the barrels.
American Single Malt Whiskey that has been aged for at least two years in oak barrels (of the types defined above) may be labeled with the term straight.

Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

A Premier Cru for Pouilly-Loché

  By admin | December 2, 2024 - 10:23 am | ,
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Location of the Les Mûres Premier Cru within the P-L AOC (base map via the website of Vins de Bourgogne)

Location of the Les Mûres Premier Cru within the P-L AOC (base map via the website of Vins de Bourgogne)

As revealed on November 21, 2024—via publication on the website of the INAO and in the Official Journal of the French Republic—a Premier Cru site has been approved for the Pouilly-Loché AOC (originally approved in 1940). The new premier cru is to be known as Les Mûres (Pouilly-Loché Premier Cru Les Mûres).

Located in the Mâconnais sub-region of Burgundy, the Pouilly-Loché AOC is a small appellation (totaling 33 hectares/79 acres) focusing on high-quality Chardonnay. The appellation is centered around the small town of Loché and located a short distance (5 km/3.2 miles) southwest of the city of Mâcon. The vineyards of the Pouilly-Loché AOC overlap those of the Pouilly-Vinzelles AOC so (at least in theory), the wines of Pouilly-Loché may be labeled as Pouilly-Vinzelles. (This, however, would not be true for the Les Mûres Premier Cru.)

As is true of the larger Pouilly-Loché AOC, Pouilly-Loché Premier Cru Les Mûres is required to be a dry white wine produced with 100% Chardonnay grapes.

  • However, in addition to geographic specificity, the premier cru wine must abide by some regulations that are a bit more stringent than the larger, more general Pouilly-Loché appellation. These include the following:
    • Premier Cru wines must contain a minimum of 12% abv (as opposed to 11% for Pouilly- Loché  AOC).
    • Premier Cru wines have a maximum yield of 58 hl/ha (as opposed to 60 hl/ha for Pouilly- Loché AOC).
    • Premier Cru wines are required to have a minimum must weight of 195 g/l (as opposed to 178 g/l for Pouilly- Loché AOC).
    • Grapes for Premier Cru wines must be manually harvested.
    • Premier Cru wines may not be released before July 1 of the year following the harvest (wines of the Pouilly- Loché AOC may be released as early as February 1 of the year following the harvest).

Eagle-eyed wine lovers may note that this announcement is closely aligned with the approval of three premiers crus vineyards for the Pouilly-Vinzelles AOC (announced the prior day).

Map of the Pouilly-Loché AOC via the INAO

Map of the Pouilly-Loché AOC via the INAO

Note: as with all such updates, the paperwork is still winding its way through the bureaucratic back offices of the EU. As such, while this update has been approved and announced by the Republic of France (via publication on the website of the INAO as well as the Official Journal of the Republic of France), the updated Cahier des Charges has yet to be approved by the EU. In the meantime, the new Premier Cru designations are allowed to be used on the labels of qualified wines. In the unlikely event that the change is not approved by the EU, the decree will be rescinded.

References/for more information:

Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org