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Wine Education and Tourism

This document discusses education considerations for wine tasting room staff. It recommends hiring based on personality and communication skills over qualifications. Facts and processes can be learned; personality cannot. It reviews options for in-house and external wine education including the Court of Master Sommeliers, Wine and Spirit Education Trust, and Associazione Italiana Sommelier. While external credentials provide theory, in-house education tailored to the business allows for quality control and investing in long-term employees. The key is to hire the right people and provide the right education.

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Wine Education for Tasting Room Staff Robbin Gheesling Vineyard Adventures http://slidesha.re/AwZR0u
Roles in wine tourism & how they function In-house winery staff Incoming tour operators Independent local tour guides
Considerations for Hiring People should be hired for their personality and the ability to communicate. This should take precedence over ANY qualification or degree they may already have. Hiring for a tourism role should be long-term, not seasonal.
Why? Facts and processes can be learned personality and friendliness cannot! Pay attention to their credentials if they have them already Tourism initiatives should not ONLY be executed during high-season
Don’t just take my word for it... Opinions from LinkedIn
“The 'skilled' factor is vital as having the right level / amount of knowledge is one thing, but the ability to put it across to consumers and the trade in an enthusiastic, passionate and entertaining way is something else!!”
“ In Europe, we feel that wine is intrinsically linked to the culture and culinary traditions of the region in which it's grown. So it's important to present it to guests in that manner, in a cultural context. This also gets across another important point to guests: that wine is about enjoyment, pleasure and conviviality! A great wine tour guide knows how to impart a sense of cultural context, pleasure and conviviality to guests that makes their trip an authentic experience of the region they're visiting, and highly memorable!”
“...we have found that it's essential to have a guide who is highly knowledgeable about wine, but who also has two other very important qualities: 1) experience working with tourists, and 2) impeccable customer service skills. Guiding a wine-oriented tour is not the same as giving a wine class. You have to know how to provide information tailored to each person, as some guests will have a great deal of wine knowledge and want very detailed, high-level information, while others have less knowledge (and interest) and will want a shorter, simpler answer. There are also times to talk, and times to just let the clients enjoy the scenery or the meal. Guiding is sometimes about teaching, and a lot about helping the clients have a great time on their tour. Knowing how to provide great customer service is terribly important. A wine expert who is incapable of dealing with a client who needs to find a pharmacy, or needs their room to be changed because of an issue at the hotel, or any of the myriad of issues that come up during a tour, is not going to be a good guide.”
So is education important? YES A wine knowledgeable guide is prepared to give the right amount of information to the tourist that wants to hear it.
Options for education? In-house staff should have IN-HOUSE education. Quality control of the training is maintained and it is inexpensive In-house education is investing in your product and in a long-term employee They should participate in all facets of the winemaking process on site Include this when they are interviewed for the job. If they don’t want to get dirty, consider someone else
Outside Credentials Wine service (sommelier) Academic (journalist, author)
The Major Options Court of Master Sommeliers (International - London based) Wine and Spirit Education Trust (International - London Based) Associazione Italiana Sommelier (Italy)
Court of Master Sommeliers www.courtofmastersommeliers.org www.mastersommeliers.org Focused on wine knowledge and service Table side etiquette is taught and part of the examination Teaches wines of the world Must pass Certified at a certain score to be INVITED to sit the next level of qualification.
Court Structure 4 levels: Introductory, Certified, Advanced, Master Sommelier Intro: 1 day REVIEW course, then exam No review course for Certified, just self study Advanced (if invited to sit): 3 day review course, 2 day exam
Pros & Cons: Court Very rigorous program from the start Service examination could be an indication of how well service is executed in a tourism setting Focus is restaurant, restaurant, restaurant Coursework is in English
Wine & Spirit Education Trust www.wset.co.uk Focused entirely on “bookish” wine knowledge. Service standards as studied as theory, not as practice Teaches wines of the world Introductory not required as admission to Advanced, Advanced required for admission to Diploma
WSET Structure 5 levels: Simply named Level 1-5 All have classroom instruction with tasting before exams Level 1: for the absolute novice. Level 2: Introduction to wines: e.g. What and where is Chardonnay? Level 3: 16 lesson course in-depth on wines of the world Level 4: MUST pass Level 3 to enter the program Intensive 3 year program with 6 units of exams
Pros & Cons: WSET Provides a theory base that can be applied to what is being seen in the winery. Does not go into depth on practical service. (Is this needed for tourism or not?) Focus is reading, reading, reading. In English.
Associazione Italian Sommelier www.aisitalia.it Service and theoretical knowledge Focus on Italian wines (international wines covered but not as completely as others) 3 levels: 1, 2, 3 (brilliant!)
Pros & Cons: AIS Course entirely in Italian Food & Wine pairing is a major component of Level 3 Only really recognized in Italy Doesn’t have a broad scope on the wine world
In conclusion.... Hire on ability and aptitude. The education will follow.
Robbin Gheesling Vineyard Adventures robbin@vineyardadaventures.com @robbin_g @vineyardtravel