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Daily Express, Tuesday October 5 2004, page 64
Learn the tricks of the wine trade
By Alison Coleman
ALTHOUGH more people are taking an interest in wine these days, many are daunted by the prospect of ordering wine in a restaurant because they don't feel knowledgeable enough. This has led to a rise in popularity of wine courses aimed at people who want to learn more about it.
George Tate, co-founder of London-based Better Tasting, says: "It is something that everyone can do. Once you have learned how to identify the various elements of wine, and tell a good wine from a bad wine, you can then go on to learn more about things like grape varieties." Wine Matters, based in Oxford, offers general wine tuition courses that cater for all levels of knowledge.
Tutor Karen Hyde says: "People are faced with so much choice. Supermarkets are continually expanding their stocks and it can be confusing. If students know they like a particular grape, we can teach them how to choose that variety from a different producer”.
Students are drawn from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, from school leavers to people in their 70s. "We've had doctors. marketing managers, computer engineers and teachers coming on the course, which illustrates just how broad the appeal of wine has become," says Karen. The content of the introductory course follows the guidelines of the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust (WSET) curriculum, and students have the option of taking a WSET exam.
WSET, the only wine and spirit education body approved by the Qualifications Curriculum Authority, runs a range of courses for professionals and consumers.
Plumpton College, near Lewes in East Sussex, offers a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Wine Studies, a two-year course run in association with the University of Brighton and the WSET. Students can specialise in business or production and can progress to a BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences Wine Studies) or the BA (Hons) in Business Administration at the University of Brighton, allowing students to complete a university degree in a wine-related subject.
INFORMATION
Wine and Spirit Education Trust: 020 7236 355l / www.wset.co.uk
Better Tasting : 0870 333 9122 / www.bettertasting.co.uk
Wine Matters: www.wine-matters.com
Plumpton College: 01273 890454 / www.plumpton.ac.uk
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