Tuscany Trip Follows Completion of Wine Specialist Coursework

After completing what amounts to a master's degree course of study about wines, wine making and all vinophile subjects, Hillsborough resident Deborah Petrock is preparing to continue her schooling—this time, amid the fine wine vinters of Northern Italy.

Petrock is heading to the Tuscan region—where some of her favorite wines are produced—from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16, just in time to see the wineries at the peak of their production cycle. So will her visit include the traditional grape stomping to produce the juices for wine?

"Yes, I probably will be asked to do something," she said.

That's about the only aspect of wines Petrock is not well versed on after completing the certified wine specialist course offered by the Society of Wine Educators. The program, which took her about three years to complete, teaches "wine knowledge and mastery of key elements within the worlds of viticulture and wine production" and is recognized as a sign of true expertise.

Of course, being a member of the Petrock family, she wasn't a newbie when she started the course: Petrock already had completed the Harriet Lembeck wine course and had a certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, but she'd left the family business for some time and discovered "the world of wines" had grown tremendously during the time she was away from it.

She plans to follow-through to obtain the highest credential, also—the certified wine educator.

In the meantime, Petrock has been applying her knowledge with weekly wine tastings at the Petrock Liquor Store, which she describes as a chance to "sip, socialize with a bit of education."

Petrock is also putting her knowledge to work with the store's customers, who come in with questions. Petrock said she doesn't try to convince customers to buy any specific wine, but instead to learn more about the types of wine they like or don't like.

"The whole idea isn't to sell the wine; it's to become familiar with the wines," she said. "You don't try to change them, you keep them in their comfort zone."

Of course, most want to know what she recommends—her favorites include French white Burgundy wines, Chadonnays and Chablis, Italian "Baby Amarone" wines and her favorites, Francia Corta.

"It's a premium sparkling wine," she said of the Francia Corta wines. 

"People don't enjoy sparkling wines enough," she said.