Twenty five+ wine related firsts

Richard Sagala is based in Montréal (Québec) CANADA his hometown; here are some firsts and original contributions from Richard through the years:

1– Incorporation of  l’École In Vino Veritas the First  independent WSET approved bilingual (French-English) program provider in Québec and Canada (April 2012)

2– Spring of 2012 École In Vino Veritas (ÉIVV) became the First  WSET approved program provider habilitated to teach the WSET Advanced  Level 3  in Québec. Presently, the school is in its Fourteenth academic year. Richard has been equally:

3– the first wine educator to have created a WSET Wine Level 3 class in St John’s Newfoundland, CANADA (Winter of 2025, 21 students registered). 

4– for the last 8 years a visiting professor to the KEDGE Paris  Business School M Sc. Arts & Creative Industries Management program

5- the creator and Maestro of the First  Canadian Delegation of the Ordine dell’Cavaliere del tartufo e dei vini d’Alba link  (Fall of 2022) ; as per Spring 2025, more than fifty barolo lovers has been knighted in Montréal.

6- June 12 2025, in Montréal, was held the first tasting dinner of l’Ordre du Bon Temps Richard Sagala last gastronomic club creation devoted to revive l’Ordre du Bon Temps  the first ever gastronomic club of the New World (created by Samuel de Champlain in…1606!)

7– the First  Italian Wine Educator in Québec for the Vinitaly International Academy, Italian Wine Maestro program, 2019.

8– the First  Vinitaly Five Stars Wine competition judge from Québec (April 2016, April 2019).

9– the Creator with the late Gérard Basset of the IMBA Fine wines cellar management program in 2017, a First in the butler world.

10– the Owner & founder of the First butler school in Quebec: IMBA-AIMM, the International Montreal Butler Academy, l’Académie Internationale de Majordome de Montréal (May 2016).

11– the First  VIA (Vinitaly International Academy) Ambassador (March 2015).

12– the First and only Québec teacher/presenter  to the Wine leaders Forum organised by UBC and KEDGE Bordeaux Business School in Okanagan (6 years in a row from 2014-2020).

13– creative: École In Vino Veritas (ÉIVV) is a wine business school with a unique business model leveraging the power of technology for wine training coupled with unparalleled attention to each and every students, i.e. offering one-on-one wine SAT (WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting) sessions to help students build a sterling WSET wine tasting technique. ÉIVV school was built the way Richard would have liked to find a wine school when he started his studies some thirty+ years ago. This distinctive feature makes ÉIVV the only wine business school in the country operating in such manner and is a First in Canada.

14– ÉIVV,  First and only bilingual wine Business School in Canada operating coast to coast at Graduate level (involved in academic research link).

15– June 15th 2019, video presentation of the Orford Music fine wines cellar, a First  in Québec.

16– First  Sommelier nominated by Orford Music with the task of creating and endowing an investment wine cellar for the Arts centre (November 2018).

17– First  wine marketing researcher in Quebec published on the AAWE website, the American Association of Wine Economists (February 2013)+ (July 2016).

18– First  French Wine Scholar certified wine tutor in Québec (Fall 2014).

19– First  teacher of the WSET level 3  Advanced course  in Quebec (February-March 2013).

20– First (& only)  Wine & Lifestyle/ Art de Vivre combined  Columnist in Québec (4 years for Parcours art magazine, June 2008- October 2012).

21– First  teacher of the SAQ wine course  “Les Terroirs d’Italie” (March 2012).

22– First  WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust)  Level 3 Certified Educator in Québec  (February 2012).

23– First  english wine appreciation teacher for SAQ « A world to discover » course (November 2011).

24– First (and only) Bordeaux Wine MBA in Québec (October 2011); Bursary of the Gerard Delage Foundation

25– Québec first certified Butler (The International Butler Academy, The Netherlands (November 2001). Diploma awarded with the mention Distinction.

26– July &  August 2019,  Honouring Italian wines & Italian Music : Wine tastings/ Gastronomy by Richard Sagala, Italian Classical Music chosen by Wonny Song, Artisitic Director of Orford Music a first in Québec.

Other Wine Contributions:

-Bordeaux: 2009 and 2023; in 2009 Richard  Sagala became International Bordeaux Wine Educator, in 2023 Richard joins the Commanderie de Bordeaux, as Commandeur in the  Montréal chapter.

– July &  August 2013, 2 special events: Vino e Musica  blending: Wine/ Gastronomy/ Classical Music chosen by conductor Maestro Jean-François Rivest a first in Québec.

– April 2012, the first Richard Sagala In Vino Veritas wine club became operational.

– Richard Sagala was the first invited Canadian Argentine Tango dance teacher by the Beijing Tango Club and organised the first  Wine and Tango special dance/tasting event for the Beijing Wine Club (Beijing, China, Summer of 2006).

Non-wine related first:

First  (& only) Canadian certified from the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Motor Cars School of Instruction (UK, September 2001).

Post scriptum:

While we are talking about firsts, perhaps it should be mentioned that Richard Sagala received a “Premier Prix” (First Prize) from the Quebec Conservatory of Music in 1978; two pieces of music played by Richard can be heard: here and here

In parting, a quote from Michel Serres*:

L’homme de sapience a le nez creux, l’oreille fine, pour saisir l’instant.

more about Richard in the  August 2018 Forbes magazine article: link

-The end-

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*ext. Les Cinq Sens, 1985, 2014 re-edition, p. 205, Pluriel ed.

Michel Serres (1930-2019) was a French philosopher and teacher at Paris University and was Stanford emeritus professor of the History of Sciences as well as  a member of the Académie Française;  in les Cinq Sens Michel Serres describes tasting a bottle of 1947 Yquem…