Training Course for Wine Steward and Sommelier in Philippines
- The explosion of wine’s popularity in Asia has resulted in a big shortage of qualified wine service staff. In the Philippines, the few wine servers and sales people who have received some training or possess some knowledge in wine are quickly absorbed not by local restaurants and wine establishments but by employers abroad. As a result many, if not most restaurants, wine bars and wine shops and other wine-related establishments in Manila are struggling with their business using less than qualified staff. This results in poor customer satisfaction and a generally low-performing wine business.
One leading wine supplier in the Philippines has taken on this challenge and started to offer well-structured training programs aimed at producing at least a small number of well-trained wine stewards with ample knowledge in wine. An intensive 12-week course is described in this article. This is a full-time study for would-be wine stewards and wine sommeliers.Here is the course curriculum of this wine steward training program.Unit 1: Introduction
1-1 Job of a Wine Steward
1-2 Types of Wine
1-3 Basic components of wine flavors
1-4 Ageing Process
1-5 Proper Wine Service
1-6 Proper storage
1-7 Describing Wine – wine speak
1-8 SalesmanshipTasting: Appreciating Fine Wine
Lineup: Cheap Red wine: Supermarket French Red wine
Good Red wine: 2009 Château Haut BrignotUnit 2: Wine Making
2-1 Viticulture
2-2 Organic and Biodynamic Wine
2-3 The Vineyard
2-4 Vinification
2-5 Techniques for making high quality wine
2-6 AgeingTasting: Comparative tasting of same wine from different terroirs
Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand,
Sancerre or Pouilly Fume
Sauvignon Blanc from California or South AmericaUnit 3: Red Wine Varietie
3-1 Cabernet Sauvignon
3-2 Merlot
3-3 Syrah/Shiraz
3-4 Pinot Noir
3-5 Cabernet Franc
3-6 Malbec
3-7 Sangiovese
3-8 Nebbiolo
3-9 Tempranillo
3-10 Other red wine grapesTasting: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz
Unit 4: White Wine Varieties
4-1 Chardonnay
4-2 Sauvignon Blanc
4-3 Riesling
4-4 Pinot Grigio
4-5 Viognier
4-6 Marsanne and Roussane
4-7 Chenin Blanc
4-8 Other white wine grapes
Tasting: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux Blanc
Unit 5: Sparkling Wine and Dessert Wine
5-1 Méthode Champenoise and Charmat Methods
5-2 Champagne and Crèmant
5-3 Cava, Prosecco and other Sparkling Wine
5-4 Sauternes and sweet (white) wine
5-5 Fortified Wines – Port, Madeira and SherryTasting: Port, Monbazillac
Unit 6: Wines of France
6-1 Appellation Controlèe
6-2 Classification
6-3 Major Wine RegionsTasting:
Generic Bourgogne Red Wine
AC Burgundy Red Wine – MercureyUnit 7: Region – Burgundy
7-1 Classification
7-2 Cote de Nuits
7-3 Cote de Beaune
7-4 Cote de Chalonnais
7-5 Cote de Maconnaise
7-6 Chablis
7-7 Beaujolais
7-8 ChampagneTasting: Macon Village Red, Macon Village White
Unit 8: Region – Bordeaux
8-1 Left and Right Bank
8-2 Medoc
8-3 Graves
8-4 Pomerol and St. Emilion
8-5 Sauternes
8-6 Satellite communes
8-7 1855 classification Grand Cru Classe
8-8 Cru Bourgeois, Petit Chateaux
8-9 Bordeaux Blend of Red and White Wine
Tasting: Medoc, St. Emilion
Unit 9: Region – Italy, Spain and Portugal
9-1 Major wine districts of Italy
9-2 Major wine districts of Spain
9-3 Major wine districts of Portugal
9-4 Barbaresco and Barolo
9-5 Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino
9-6 Rioja and Ribera Del DueroTasting: Chianti, Rioja, Barabaresco
Unit 10: Region – Alsace, Germany and Austria
10-1 Wine districts of Germany
10-2 Wine districts of Austria
10-3 Wines of Alsace
10-4 Reading German and Austrian wine labelsTasting: Alsace Riesling, German Riesling
Unit 11: New World Wine Regions
11-1 California
11-2 Chile
11-3 Argentina
11-4 Australia
11-5 New Zealand
11-6 South Africa
11-7 Emerging RegionsTasting: Chardonnay from California, Chile, Australia
Unit 12: Advanced Wine Appreciation
12-1 The concept of Terroir
12-2 Old-world, New-World and Modern Classic wine styles
12-3 What is the difference between an expensive and an ordinary wine?
12-4 Typicity
12-5 Balance and Longevity
12-6 Structured Wine Tasting
12-7 Appreciating Matured Vintage Wine
12-8 Principles of Wine and Food PairingTasting: 5-, 30-year-old red wine tasted with salmon
EXAMS:
Exams are conducted 2 weeks after all the courses have been completed.
Written exam – multiple choice
A set of questions on areas covered by the courses, a passing score is 60%. Those failing to pass have the option of re-taking the exam one last time after the Oral Presentation.
Paper
Each person is assigned a topic during week 6 or 7 to research and study. A 5-page essay is due at the last week and will be graded for style, insight and accuracy. The paper should articulate the writer’s point of view and not just a presentation of facts.
Oral Presentation
Each person is required to give a 15-minue stand-up presentation of his/her paper which is followed by a short question-and-answer session open to fellow trainees. Again, it is not just the content of the speech but also the way each person is able to articulate his/her point of view that will be graded.
Graduation
Graduates will be awarded one of two certificates namely Silver and Gold. Gold certificate is awarded to graduates with outstanding achievements.
Yats Wine Cellars is well-known among Asian wine lovers to be good wine supplier for well-priced vintage wines from all the major wine regions of the world. What makes shopping at Yats a lot of fun is the fact that we offer not only the familiar labels and expensive trophy wines but also lesser known but really interesting vintage wines of excellent value sought after by connoisseurs and beginners alike.
Yats Wine Cellars is one of the wine suppliers that devote a great deal of attention and effort to wine education aimed at enabling wine lovers to enhance their knowledge of wine as well as to develop a discerning palate for fine wines. To that end this leading wine supplier in Philippines frequently hold public wine events that are not sponsored by wine producers and not intended to promote a certain brand.
Just click here to contact Yats Wine Cellars directly for inquiries and purchases.
Yats Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig,
Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
Tel: (632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 0926-686-5955
Ask for Rea or Din dinWine Shop, Cellars and Warehouse in Pampanga
Clark Wine Center
Famous Wine Shop in Pampanga Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Clark Field, Clark Air Base,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023Tel: 0917-826-8790 (045) 599-5600 0922-870-5173
Ask for MarissaClick here to contact Clark Wine Center to obtain further assistance.
FACEBOOK: The Facebook account of Yats Wine Cellars, called Yats.Wine is a media with which the professionals at Yats as well as fellow wine professionals in the trade throughout the world will share with our friends and wine hobbyists in the Philippines knowledge, findings, experiences, tasting notes, insights and opinions about wine, food-wine pairing and news about wine.
