Savant Wines Notebook

How to Access Blackboard for your UCLA Ext. Wine Course

Blackboard (Bb) is a private online network that the UC system uses for delivering it's courses.  Basically it is like a private website for each course.  Blackboard is where I manage my UCLA Extension wine courses.  On Blackboard I post course files, notes, updates, videos, links, assignments and tests.  It is essential for students in these courses to get access to Blackboard.

Sometimes students have difficulty accessing Blackboard for the first time.  Please see the instructions below for accessing Blackboard.  Please send me an email if these instructions do not resolve your issues.

1) Go to the Blackboard log in page

2) Enter your user name and password

Your Username and Password are sent to you via UCLA Extension Blackboard at the beginning of the course.  This email will be sent to the email address that you provided UCLA Extension when you registered for the course.  Sometimes you need to look in your junk or spam folder to locate the email. The system sends out thousands of emails a day and they can get flagged by certain systems/email service providers.

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If you can not locate the Blackboard email with your Username and Password, please send me an email.  I can look up your Username and the Email the Blackboard system has on file for you.  Please note - I do not have access to your Password and I can not generate a new one for you.

Email address is INCORRECT
Once I have sent you your Username and Email, check to be sure the Email address is correct.  Stop here and contact Blackboard support if it is incorrect.  Return to the Blackboard log in page above and find the link that says "Help" and send an email to the Blackboard IT department.

Email address is CORRECT
If the Email address is correct, return to the Blackboard log in page above.  Find the link that says "Fogot Password".  Follow the instructions to have a new Password sent to you.  It will be sent to the Email address Blackboard has on file for you.

 

Books for Wine Courses at UCLA Extension

Below are the books I am currently using in my wine courses at UCLA Extension.  A limited supply of the books are available at the UCLA Bookstore.  I have also included the websites where they are easiest to find.  I review course books every quarter, so please check with me prior to ordering to confirm that these are the correct books for the quarter you are enrolled.

An Introduction to Wine:
Essential Winetasting, Michael Schuster
Publisher: Mitchell Beazley; Revised edition (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1845334981; ISBN-13: 978-1845334987
(Easiest place to find: www.amazon.com)

Vintage I - Viticulture & Enology:
Viticulture – An introduction to commercial grape growing for wine production, Stephen Skelton (1/09).  ISBN: 978-0-9514703-2-9 
(printed by LuLu Press.  Quickest/easiest place to find: www.lulu.com.)

Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained, David Bird (third edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1934259603
(Easiest place to find: www.amazon.com.)

 

The Wines of Bordeaux:
The Complete Bordeaux - The Wines, The Chateaux, The People (Mitchell Beazley), published in 2007, reprinted in 2009
ISBN: 978 1 84000 980 4
(Easiest place to find: www.amazon.com)

Parking for UCLA Extension Building

I teach 2 courses per quarter at UCLA Extenion in Westwood.  The building is located just off of the main campus and parking can be tricky in this part of town.  Of course there are plenty of meters but they are very aggressive with tickets, so be sure to keep your meter full.

UCLA Extension
10995 Le Conte Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(At the corner of Le Conte, Gayley and Levering)

Per my students, the cheapest place to park in the area is behind the Irish bar called O'Hara's.  Coming from Wilshire, take Gayley, turn right onto Weyburn (O'Hara's on the corner) and the parking lot is right behind it.  This is sort of the back side of Whole Foods parking structure.  Last I heard, it is $3.00 for the night if you arrive after 6:00 pm.

Note: if there are any events/movie premiers going in Westwood Village, all private parking lots in the area will shoot up to $20 - and you are better off in one of the UCLA parking structures.  There are two relatively convenient UCLA parking structures that I believe cost about $8 for the night. 

The Medical Center parking structure (Structure #1), is almost kitty-corner from the Extension building.  Coming from Wilshire, take Gayley, you will see the entrance to the parking structure on your right, just after you cross Le Conte.

The other parking structure (Structure #32) is a little further away on Kinross, between Gayley and Veteran.  Enterance is off Kinross.

Map of UCLA Parking Structures

Please travel in groups when leaving the classroom at night.  The security desk at the building is more than happy to offer you an escort to your car at any time - please feel free to ask!

Los Angeles Wine Classes - UCLA Extension the best place to take a wine class in LA!

Looking for a great place to take a wine class or course from certified experts in Los Angeles? 

UCLA Extension is the oldest wine education program in Los Angeles dating back over 40 years!  The current instructors (Shelby Ledgerwood, Justin Gallen and Neil McNally) are certified by various wine organizations and have over 50 years of experience in the wine trade combined. 

Check out UCLA Extension Wine Education and Management Program!

On the UCLA Extension website, type in "wine" in the search box to view the classes offered for the current quarter.  Classes for the coming quarter are posted and available for registration about 1.5 months before class begins.  New classes are offered every quarter.  Please note: some classes fill up up several weeks in advance of the first class meeting.

Summer Quarter 2010 currently running:

• Business of Wine Management (Justin Gallen)
• Vintage II: France, Spain, Italy (Justin Gallen)
• An Introduction to Wine (Shelby Ledgerwood)

Fall Quarter 2010 will open in early August:

• An Introduction to Wine (Shelby Ledgerwood)
• Vintage I: Viticulture and Enology (Shelby Ledgerwood)
• Vintage III: European Wine Regions and the New World (Neil McNally)
• Society of Wine Educators CSW Exam (Wine Certification) (Shelby Ledgerwood)

Winter Quarter 2011 will open in late November:

• An Introduction to Wine (Shelby Ledgerwood)
• The Wines of Bordeaux (new, 4 week intermediate course!) (Shelby Ledgerwood)
• Vintage II: France, Spain, Italy (wines & regions) (Justin Gallen)
• Business of Wine Management (Justin Gallen)

Course summaries & start dates: Local Wine Events.
Detailed course info: Savant Wines - Wine Classes
Get monthly updates via my Monthly Newsletter

Looking forward to tasting with you soon!
SL

Getting a Job in the Wine Business

I came across this book today:  Launch Your Wine Career 

I haven't had time to get it/read it, as of yet,  so this is not a review.  However, it is the only book on the topic that I have seen (this is not an endorsement, just an observation.)  I will try to find it locally and post a review.  Send me an email if you have it.

It addresses one of the top questions I get in class.  But I wonder, how specific are the examples in this book?  Are they realistic?  Can students actually put into action what they recommend?  At $20 though, it is a heck of a lot cheaper then a class of a similar title that is being offered in LA for $150+ (which brings to mind the California lemon law.)

The subtitle of this book irks me: "Dream Jobs in America's Hottest Industry." Selling people on the idea that they can read one book and get a "dream job" is ... need I say it?  Completely unrealistic.  Furthermore, I don't know of any "dream jobs" to begin with.  And "hottest industry"?  Uh-huh.  Sounds like the marketing department at work here.

Here is a plus - one of the authors is an instructor at Sonoma State - and I have heard very good things about their "How to Manage a Tasting Room" courses.  I would assume that this book came out of questions arising in those classes. 

I typically recommend that students take a look at this website for a REALISTIC idea of potential jobs: Wine Business Monthly - Wine Jobs.  (Sorry, I don't see a category for "dream jobs"....)  If you see a job that looks appealing, then look to see what the requirements are, and then start working towards achieving them.  Yes, lots of boring things will be required: excel, word, a bachelor's degree, sales experience, etc.

The way I look at it is, you have 2 choices to get in the wine business (assuming you don't want to be a winemaker and/or you can't afford to buy a winery):

1. Get an entry level "starter" job (usually paying $30K/year) and move up as fast as possible
2. Look for "cross-over" work.  This entails taking something you are already doing and finding a way to apply it to the wine trade.

Bordeaux tastings at Whole Foods Torrance and Venice this weekend

Had a great showing at Whole Foods Torrance Bordeaux Tasting last night! Come see me at Venice location tonight - details on www.localwineevents.com! Join our newsletter mailing list to stay informed of classes and events at www.savantwines.com.