Beverage Education: Robust And Fruitful for Your Career
by Debby Cannon, Ph.D., CHE, Director, School of Hospitality, Georgia State University
Michael Venezia makes many friends instantly. In addition to Michael’s outgoing and likeable personality, people are drawn to him when they learn of his profession as Corporate Director of Education for United Distributors, Inc. Whether at the gym or on an airplane, people are eager to get his advice on wine and his opinion of their “cellars.”
An increasing number of people profess to love wine. According to Venezia, the statistics support this affection. By 2010, it is projected that the United States will bypass Italy, France and Spain – traditional frontrunners – as the largest consumer, per capita, of wine.
In addition, the consumer, the restaurant diner, the hotel guest and the club member know more about wine than ever before. The more wine-savvy consumer presents an exciting challenge to the hospitality industry – from distributors to the frontline server. These professionals, to be considered experts in the consumer’s eye, have to have an exceptional knowledge of wine.
Reflective of the “rising bar” in beverage education is the growing number of certifications available. The Court of Master Sommeliers was established “to encourage improved standards of beverage knowledge and service in hotels and restaurants.” Education has consistently been the Court’s charter.
The Court of Master Sommeliers offers a multilevel professional certification process leading to the Master Sommelier designation. There are three rigorous stages involved in achieving the top level of Master Sommelier. Venezia likened the process to climbing Mount Everest, with each phase strikingly harder. The Master Sommelier diploma is the ultimate professional credential that can be achieved worldwide, according to the Court of Master Sommeliers.
The first step is the introductory sommelier course. Candidates must be of legal age to participate, and all candidates should have been employed in the wine service industry for a minimum of three years. The introductory course is followed by the certified sommelier exam. Admittance to the advanced course is through the Court of Master Sommeliers’ selection process involving an academic admissions committee. Successful completion of the introductory course is required along with five years in the wine service industry.
Full membership in the Court of Master Sommeliers is by invitation only with the prerequisite that the Master Sommelier diploma exam has been passed. The Master Sommelier diploma exam consists of both an academic, written exam and a tasting examination. Information on the service of wines, in addition to spirits, beers and other alcoholic beverages, is included. The tasting examination is scored based on the candidate’s verbal abilities in clearly and accurately describing six different wines within 25 minutes. Criteria include identifying the wine, grape varieties, country of origin, district of origin and vintages of the wines tasted.
The first successful Master Sommelier examination was held in the United Kingdom in 1969. Since the first examination, approximately 124 candidates have earned the coveted Master Sommelier designation according to the Court of Master Sommeliers’ website (www.master sommeliers.org). As one can surmise, the failure rate at this stage is quite high.
A variety of other educational opportunities exist in this industry. The American Sommelier Association (ASA) (www. americansommelier.com) is headquartered in New York City with local chapters throughout the United States. Through the ASA’s certificate course series, three wine education courses are offered: beginning (Foundation Course), intermediate (Viticulture and Vinification Course) and advanced (Advanced Blind Tasting).
The Society of Wine Educators (www. societyofwineeducators.org) validates wine knowledge, tasting acumen and teaching ability using a three-tier hierarchy of certification: the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), Certified Wine Educator (CWE), and the Master Wine Educator (MWE). Founded in 1974, the Society of Wine Educators is based in Washington, DC. The mission of this nonprofit educational organization is to advance wine education through professional development and certification. The most popular of the three designations is the CSW, with currently 1,700 CSWs in the United States.
Wholesalers and distributors are also actively involved in beverage education. According to Michael Venezia, Robert Mondavi was one of the first in the industry, over three decades ago, to send training teams around the nation to teach distributors about wines. Mondavi was also one of the first to invite distributors to their winery for “emersion” classes resulting in the awarding of certificates.
This winery-based type of training has grown through the years and now encompasses numerous wineries around the world. The training is becoming more specialized, as evidenced by Oregon wineries offering a pinot noir camp in the Willamette Valley, the heart of Oregon Wine Country.
On the academic level, Georgia State University’s School of Hospitality offers a course in beverage management, which is team taught by Michael Venezia and Dr. David Pavesic, professor. The course includes wines, spirits and beers as well as beverage management and control principles. An important part of the curriculum is the material on responsible alcohol service and legal requirements in beverage service. Students take the CARE (Controlling Alcohol Risks Effectively) exam, which is available through the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, as a required part of the course.
Beverage management is a course in high demand, not only for hospitality majors but for other business majors as well. According to Pavesic, “Many business deals are made in fine dining establishments with wine as an important part of the meal. Students increasingly understand that wine knowledge is a part of professional career development. Expertise in this area can be a career enhancer.” ■
