professional wine courses via distance learning 

 

 

Associate Degree in International Wines & Spirits

(120 lectures)

€2300  - as from October 2007
(no previous knowledge required)

This e-learning course, (also called a Foundation course in the UK) is very comprehensive, content-based, but also (as with all our courses) strongly focused on practical experience. It will normally take about 3 years to complete and it is designed in such a manner that it complies with the basic requirements for a Bachelors degree. Whilst it does not yet have that status it is our intention, and hope, to eventually have this Associate Degree course recognised as a Bachelors degree. Any student who wishes to follow any of these 3 Modules, as a stand-alone course, may do so but with the approval of the College, and such approval will take into account the existing wine knowledge of that student.

The 3 different years of studies is made up of the following main modules:

  • Year 1: Covers the essentials of wine, tasting and sensory analysis, Sommeliership, viticulture and winemaking.

  • Year 2: Covers the European wine regions as well as the essentials of spirits and liqueurs.

  • Year 3: Deals with the rest of the world’s wine regions as well as the essentials of wine marketing and management.

    It assumes that students have no prior knowledge. It offers the serious wine & spirits student the opportunity to not only acquire a solid grounding in all basic and fundamental essentials of wine & spirits but in addition students will receive detailed instruction in all relevant topics.

    In the 1st year all the fundamentals are covered and the following 2 years the focus is on a thorough investigation of all the world’s major wine regions, as well as the emerging wine producing regions. In those 2 years the basics learnt in the 1st year will be constantly applied in learning about those wine regions. In addition students will also (spread over the last 2 years) receive a detailed introduction into spirits and liqueurs, and also into the business, retailing, sales, marketing and management aspects of the wine & spirits industry, (an aspect most course designers do not take into account), because with this course our hope is to create the total, all-round wine professional. It naturally also empowers students for a serious career in the wine, hospitality and related, industries.

    This course consists of 120 lessons and will be offered over a period of about 3 years.

    To get an idea of the extensive range of topics which this course will cover students are invited to look at the syllabi of the Wine Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma courses offered by this College – see elsewhere on these pages, as this course is based upon those 3 courses and follows the same core modules.

    It consists of:

    • 120 lessons and assignments, including Class assignments
    • A portfolio of 120 wines that have to be tasted during the course
    • An annual Essay
    • On-site Training of 40 hours
    • short examinations at the conclusion of each Module

    • Optional tutored work shops
    • Optional annual Field Trip to a wine region


The Modules cover the following topics:

o The essentials of wine & wine tasting
o The role and influence of viticulture
o The essentials of Winemaking
o Distillation & Spirits
o The European Wine regions, with emphasis on France
o The New World Wine regions
o The role of the Retailer, Wholesaler, Importer & Exporter
o The role of Marketing
o The essentials of Economics & Management

Graduates from this course will be ideally placed for careers within the wine, spirits and hospitality trades, including management, marketing, buying, wholesale and retail.
 

Starting date: immediate

There's a €30 registration fee to be added to the tuition fee.

Tick BOOK NOW to officially enrol.