SOCIETY OF WINE EDUCATORS ANNOUNCES 29TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN VANCOUVER, CANADA AUGUST 1-6, 2005

Washington, D.C. - “Oh Canada!” what wondrous wines you have! The Society of Wine Educators, the leading international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing wine education through professional development and certification, travels north this year for the 29th Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada. During the three-day main conference at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, educators and enophiles choose from over 30 seminars tied to the 2005 theme, An International Wine Adventure, being developed by conference planners Paul Martin and Harry Hertscheg, and Canadian Membership Chair Richard Carras, CWE. Last year, over 500 people from around the globe attended the conference in Sonoma, CA. Past locations have included Bellevue, Washington, Eugene, Oregon and Anaheim, California among many other wine regions.

A host of pre-conference tours and main conference seminars will entice attendees, growing the Society’s knowledge as a whole. There is something for everyone. Choose from a multi-day trip to the Okanagan Valley, a culinary tour of Vancouver, and excursions to Victoria, Granville Island and Chinatown. Local wine experts will offer three sessions on Canada’s wine industry, while Society members and educators host panel discussions on a variety of topics. Professionals interested in the Certified Wine Educator exam can learn more at a CWE Preview pre-conference session as well as sit for the exam. Enthusiastic collectors can bid in a silent auction benefiting the Society’s educational scholarships, seminars, training and certification programs, and all donations are tax deductible as the SWE is a 501 (c) (3) organization. During the year, the Society offers wine enthusiasts and wine professionals a variety of professional development workshops, hands-on wine-immersion trips and study-guide materials. For more information, see the education schedule below or go to http://wine.gurus.com/certification_lnk.html. Advance registration of 2+ weeks prior to the exam date is recommended.

The Society of Wine Educators is now accepting registration for the conference. Single-day or full-conference registration options are available for wine professionals and enthusiasts alike. Costs for the main conference are $540 for members and $600 for non-members.
For further information and registration, visit http://www.wine.gurus.com or contact the national office in Washington DC at 202-347-5677 or contact conference@societyofwineeducators.org. For media inquiries, please contact Kimberly Charles at kcharles@charlescomm.com or 415-701-9463.

About the Society of Wine Educators:
Established in 1977, SWE is the principal professional association of wine educators in the United States to offer certification programs. They involve rigorous individual study of principal wine topics, including vinification and viticulture, and are geared toward wine professionals of different levels. The Certified Specialist of Wine exam is recommended for beginning and intermediate level wine professionals seeking to master a core body of knowledge deemed vital to professional work within the wine industry and is administered in a one-hour, multiple-choice exam. The Certified Wine Educator exam tests advanced wine professionals to build upon their understanding of wines of the world, wine service and storage, and sensory identification of wine components. This exam lasts four hours and consists of three parts: one multiple-choice/essay and two practical exercises involving wine identification and wine faults.

Optional test-preparation seminars and study guide materials are available. Candidates can sign up to take either exam during the SWE’s Annual Conference or at one of the scheduled locations, nationwide.