Wine tasting: An offbeat career option after Class 12
Have you ever watched the documentary ‘Somm’ and wondered what it's all about? Well, sommeliers or wine tasters are the main protagonists in that film. A glass of wine is a delight in itself. For many people, earning money by tasting different types of wine is like a dream job. In fact, the pristine liquid being served at parties can be a lucrative source of income. Read below to know more about this unconventional career choice.
Courses available
Students interested in pursuing wine tasting as a career can enrol for diploma and undergraduate courses after Class 12. These courses might last anything from two weeks to six months or a year for a Diploma in Wine Studies course. The foundation certificate course introduces students to basic wine tasting, food and wine pairing, wine storage, and serving. While tasting, students are taught to utilise their senses to determine a wine's history. The basic Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) exposes students to the taste of 10-12 wines from around the world. The Level 1 course is six hours long and takes 1-2 days to complete. The 16-hour Level 2 is spread out across 3-5 days. Students are taught to evaluate wine at various levels.
Some of the popular wine tasting courses in India are as follows:
- Short-term, weekend-based wine tasting course
- Wine and Spirit Education Trust WSET Level-1 course
- Wines & Spirits Academy (WASA) certificate course
- Wines & Spirits Academy (WASA) associate certificate course
- Wine tasting: Sensory techniques for wine analysis by Coursera
- Wine in 9: The complete wine tasting course by Udemy
Institutes for studying wine tasting in India
Hotel and Catering Management Institute, Chandigarh, Indian Wine Academy, New Delhi, Institute for Wine and Beverage Studies, New Delhi, Tulleeho Wine Academy, Bangalore, Wine Academy of India, Chennai, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal and KBR School of Wine, Mumbai are some of the prominent institutes where students can pursue wine tasting programmes in India.
Eligibility criteria
Students aspiring to build a career as a sommelier must have completed Class 12 with 50% aggregate from Science, Humanities or Commerce stream. Candidates must be of legal drinking age to apply for these courses. Additionally, in order to develop their taste buds, wine tasters must get a lot of expertise and practise. As a result, sommeliers must attend wine tasting sessions led by established sommeliers or wine tasting institutes on a regular basis.
Skills required for being a wine taster
First of all, candidates must be enthusiastic about wine. When dealing with the beverage, there should be an inherent affection for the subject without any inhibitions. A good sense of taste and smell is also required. Since the profession necessitates tour and travel, a passion for travel is required as well. Good communication skills and an understanding of the English language are mandatory. Another prerequisite is a good recall, as one will learn about the flavours of many wines as well as the regions to which they belong. It is critical to be aware of the rules governing wine in those areas. Students must also have some experience in the culinary arts and a basic understanding of chemistry.
Career options
Wine writer, wine journalist, wine critic, food and wine person, sommelier, wine educator, a lecturer in wine academies and a consumer trainer are some of the popular career profiles available for a sommelier.