I
think the first thing to cover on this is where to get your education
from. My options, in Calgary at least, were 2 private training
schools, one of which is offered through SAIT. Plenty of tastings,
educational tasting seminars through various liquor stores, and
training provided by my former employer, are all major contributors
to my understanding of wine and knowledge thereof. Not to mention, of
course, about a bazillion online training programs and smart phone
apps.
The
Heavy Hitters
These
two are the private training schools I mentioned above. They have the
most comprehensive, unbiased, and student focused courses out there.
They come with classroom hours, reading materials and a fully
qualified instructor. As a bonus, they typically have smaller class
sizes.
I
took the level 1, four week foundation course through Fine Vintage
and loved it! I had an excellent teacher who answered all of my
questions, regardless of how silly or simple I thought they might be.
Even if I ended up stumping my instructor, she came back the next
week with the answer. One of my main reasons for picking this course
was because it was recommended to me by someone who had gone through
both the ISG and the WSET, and also a third training provider that no
longer exists. They knew my instructor, and believed that the
credibility of the certificate was much better from WSET.
The
only downfall to this course was that it was only four weeks long,
whereas the competitors course was longer. I feel that it could have
easily been spread out over 6 weeks as an introductory style course
because there is so much ground work to be laid for the next level.
It made for a fair bit of reading and researching outside of the
materials given to maximize the classroom time. However, that being
said, for someone who is just doing it because they like wine - and
want to know more about the product - it was perfect..
Now,
I haven’t taken any training with ISG (International Sommelier
Guide), so I cannot remark on their instructors or classroom
settings. What I can say is that the idea of it taking place at SAIT
appeals to me. In my opinion, I think that this course is tailored
more to the new professional. With the length of the course, a
whopping 10 weeks, I imagine the amount of technical knowledge you
should come away with would be considerably higher. How could it not
be, with the amount of review that must go on?
As
I said above, I think 6 weeks is the ideal length for any wine
foundation course. At 10 weeks I fear redundancy and boredom may set
in for those of us with a weaker sense of willpower.
Many
boutique wine shops and liquor stores often do tastings and education
classes on wines of varying prices, ranging from $20 to $150. Some
may be even higher depending on the wines being opened and any food
or appearances that may accompany it, such as The Queen or even Rocky
Balboa. I believe these should be treated more as exploratory wine
tastings and less as educational seminars. I think the people that go
to these pre-planned and ticketed events are there to taste some
wines and learn a few facts. Not necessarily to memorize a book on
what a particular wine region or varietal tastes like.
Often,
these shops will partner with wine importers to do free tastings for
their customers. In this situation there is little pre-planning
involved and no tickets. The establishment may advertise that they
have a tasting occurring on a certain day, but that’s usually it.
With this they have someone handing out free samples of the wine and
trying to educate through tiny fun facts or food pairings as they are
hoping to drive sales for that day. Depending on the personality of
the salesperson, this can both good and bad, as you may end up
impulse buying a wine that isn’t your style.
In
the food and beverage industry a lot of places have in house training
where they educate their staff on the wines and other types of
alcohol they are selling. I find these to be the BEST forms of wine
training. You're guaranteed small class sizes, you’re with your
peers, your instructors typically know your learning style and have
worked with you before. You will usually have a say on what you'll be
learning about and most places will actually have a quiz or exam to
test their staffs knowledge. It’s because of this that I almost
always take a servers recommendation. They know their food, and in
theory, they know their wine as well. Also, as a patron of a
restaurant, you can always as ask for a taster if it’s by the glass
to be sure.
As
for the online community and phone apps, I think that anyone can call
themselves an expert. So take what you read with a grain of salt, and
be sure to research and cross reference before you spend any money on
the at home training programs.
Now,
as I have only completed a few of these options, and not had the
opportunity to fully explore all facets of eduction, please don’t
feel that my review is at all limiting you. I encourage you to
research on your own and find the kind of training that best suits
you. I find it is often the people you’re taught by, and not the
course itself, that dictates how well you do or what you get out of
it. Find a teacher and program that works with your style of
learning.
Cheers!
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