After successful completion of the higher certificate, I pay my tuition and commit myself for the two year "Weinakademiker" diploma course. The Austrian Wine Academy sends me a package that includes a detailed description of the course and the examination along with study material for the first 3-day seminar block at the Austrian Wine Academy headquarters in Rust, Burgenland. On the program for my first year I have the following subjects:

Wine Chemistry
Viticulture
Vinification
Fortified Wines of Spain
Fortified Wines of Portugal
Other Fortified Wines
French Wine Law
Bordeaux
Southwest France
The Loire Valley
Central France
Southern France
Germany
Northern Italy
Portugal
Central and East Europe
Australia and New Zealand
Austrian Wine Export and EU Market

At the end of the first year I will have three exam papers to take. The first will cover wine production. The second paper consists of a description and quality assesment of three wines in a blind tasting and three wines in a partial blind tasting where we will be told the region or the grape variety. The third paper covers theory over all the wines and regions covered throughout the year.

Reading through the course and exam description, I discover that the very same test, and the very same wines are given to WSET Diploma Candidates all over the world each year. Our test in Austria will be the same as the one in London, just translated into German and we will have a different export question pertaining to the Austrian market instead of the UK market.

All of the information is clearly presented and easy to understand. It is also made clear that we should arrive prepared for our seminars since our lecturers will assume that we know the material well and will continue from where it leaves off. Also included is a list of recommended books and magazines as we are expected to be knowledgeable of current events and trends in the wine world and be informed beyond the basic study material from the Academy.

I take this to heart while looking over the material for the first Seminars: Wine Chemistry, Viticulture, Vinification, and Wine Tasting. The translation into German appears to be very professional and all the information well structured and organized. A deeper look at the Wine Chemistry makes my heart sink: I'll definitely need to study a textbook for Organic Chemistry and do some translation work before I can even begin to understand this material. In the German language all the chemicals and compounds have Germanic names with little corresponding reference to their Greek etymology. For example, oxygen is Sauerstoff, nitrogen is Stickstoff, malic acid is Apfelsäure. What the unappetizing sounding terms Blutlaugensalz or Schleimsäure are, I haven't yet the faintest idea The text explains the chemical processes behind photosynthesis, alcoholic fermentation, and malo-lactic fermentation; the chemical composition of grapes, must and wine; as well as the treatment and analysis of wine. Looking on the bright side, I realize that if I ever reach an understanding of this material, I will be able to fulfill the booming (?) demand for German-English translators of wine chemistry!!!

The study material for enology appears to be written in a vocabulary that is easier to understand until I once again reach the chemical additives and wine analysis. I'll definitely require some extra translation and study hours in these areas.

Ah, Viticulture! I'm back in the green among sandal-footed esoterics speaking the language of sunlight and ripe fruit. The nature-loving romantic in me feels much more at home here. I find the material fascinating and can't wait to get started on it.

I've got a whole two months to digest this study material before the first lectures at the academy. My first book purchases include "Sunlight into Wine" by Smart and Robinson and "The Art and Science of Wine" from Halliday and Johnson On the internet I find some helpful sites that will help me translate the chemistry material.

I also find a 6-page easy to understand chemistry of wine from E.Tomer, M.G. Tokmenko, and J. Washington from the John Carroll University:
http://www.jcu.edu/philosphy/wirkus/chem.htm

At the Cornell University website I find some nifty graphics on malolactic fermentation and information on chemicals in grapes and in wine:
http://www.mysaes.cornell.edu/fst/faculty/acree/fs430/lectures/01introduction.html

The general Chemistry Online website has a "live" glossary "Intoduction to Organic Chemistry":
http://antoine.fsu.umd.edu/chem/senese/101/organic/glossary.shtml

Well, it looks like I've got enough to keep me very busy once my work day is over and the kiddies are in bed......