Wine classes offered at Southern Cross University

The top sommeliers in Australia can be responsible for purchasing, cellaring and selling millions of dollars worth of wines.

Some elite Sydney restaurants list single bottles of wine worth as much as $14,000 but they also sell wines worth about $45, a price disparity of some distinction. With this in mind a sommelier’s knowledge of wine can be paramount to a restaurant’s success.

To get to that level of responsibility most sommeliers would have started with some straight forward training in wines, such as completing the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 1 Certificate in Wines from the Queensland College of Wine Tourism (QCWT).

Southern Cross University will host a WSET Level 1 Certificate at its Gold Coast campus on June 4. The Certificate is industry recognised and is an entry level qualification providing a straightforward introduction to wine.

The Level 1 Certificate, organised by the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, is ideal for boosting the confidence of new or inexperienced front line staff in the hospitality and retail sectors. It is also a great course for those wanting to know the main grape varieties and food and wine matching as well as those people who just want to learn more about wine for their own enjoyment.

The course content touches on the main styles of wine available in the world; the main wine grape varieties; storing and serving wine; social, health, safety and legal issues regarding wine consumption; writing tasting notes based on the WSET system; and food and wine matching.

“The School of Tourism and Hospitality Management is delighted to be working with the Queensland College of Wine Tourism,” Dr Erica Wilson, the Acting Head of School of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management said.

“The WSET Award in Wines is a prestigious international qualification, and just one of several activities on which we will collaborate with QCWT via our Memorandum of Understanding. We already run field trips to the QCWT facilities at Stanthorpe for our Special Interest Tourism class, which sees students directly involved in wine production and the wine marketing process.

“The WSET training, offered at our Gold Coast campus, will provide our students and participants with yet another competitive advantage through increasing their practical knowledge of wines and its relationship with food. All students, industry workers and wine buffs interested in good food and wine, and value-adding to their tourism and hospitality education, should register. This is certainly an exciting opportunity not to be missed.”

The course will be held at the University’s Gold Coast campus (adjacent to Coolangatta Airport) on June 4 from 9am to 5pm. Cost is $255 and participants must book their attendance by Wednesday May 16. To register contact Bill Morgan at QWCT on 07 4685 5011 or by email on william.morgan@usq.edu.au

Participants will need to pass a written examination at the conclusion of the workshop to gain the accreditation.
Photo: Dr Erica Wilson.