5.6. Outcomes
USA
It is at a first sight, difficult to find a positive aspect in
the public wine education system in USA. Indeed, there is no specific framework
for wine education, even if at the top level the Master of Wine or the society
of wine Educators plays a great role in wine knowledge development. On the
other hand (possibly due to the fact that USA is a huge country with a high
density of population) there are numerous sommelier associations, which can't
help but draw up homogeneous programmes and find a consensus around the wine
syllabus. However and even if the time dedicated to wine education is not for
the moment important, René Roger (Teacher at the Lausanne Hotel School
and at Washington State University) has noticed that the American sommeliers
are really good at wine selling as they are probably more aware of customers'
expectations than French professionals. He also considers that sometimes the
French sommeliers do not focus enough on guest's needs. Paradoxically and even
if there is no specific programme for wine training, one positive aspect in US
is that it seems to be easier to get a sommelier job even if employees don't
have a previous hospitality background. Things are less rigid than for the
French system and it is easier to change from a job to another.
Spain
Spain is maybe closer to the French system and wine courses are
clearly included in all vocational programmes even if there is apparently no
programme dedicated to sommellerie only. However and if Spain does not offer a
sommelier syllabus, the word «sommellerie» is clearly written on the
Grado superior curriculum and students have five hours of courses (compulsory)
in their programme. Further studies need to be implemented to find out if the
courses clearly lead to a good wine comprehension at the end of the courses and
therefore if students become confident enough when selling wine at the
restaurant.
Australia
Regarding Australia and according to Clive Hartley (Senior Head
Teacher, Food & Beverage/Event Management in TAFE, Sydney), the country
still offers very few wine courses through the mainstream. However, there are
some clear elements which demonstrate that wine education takes a more and more
important place in the syllabus. Oddly, wine courses are elective and anyone
can do a hospitality programme without speaking about wine during the studies.
However, the first sommelier courses have been implemented in Sydney and that
can be considered as an important step for a country which wants to play a
major role amongst the most important wine producing countries. Clive Hartley
also points out that «students often come back to school to pick up wine
courses while they are working in restaurants, and they mainly take
internationally based programs (WSET) as they consider their Australian
knowledge is good enough. Australians generally travel around to wines regions
and also go to numerous wine tastings to pick up their knowledge in this
area»
UK
In England, the country where the WSET arose, and where wine
consumption is still increasing it appears that wine education is not clearly
integrated in hospitality programmes. According to Arnaud Goubert, Head
Sommelier at the «Manoir aux Quat Saisons» (two star restaurant in
Oxford), that is one of the reasons why so many French sommeliers are now
employed in UK. In 2010 Christopher Delalonde was awarded the «Best
sommelier of England», the second place taken by another French, Johann
Jousselin.
Legal drinking may be seen as a curb in the development of wine
education and the lack of waiting culture is probably a second important
element which could have a negative impact on the wine apprenticeship.
Moreover, England is not really a producing country (even if there are now
vineyards in the south of the country) and increasing wine sales are probably
not seen as a priority.
However and as noticed above, wine consumption is increasing
significantly, people are becoming more and more wine educated and a lot of
outstanding English sommeliers are Master of wine or even have been awarded
Best Sommelier of the World (such as Gérard Basset) . As in many
countries the main issue is probably not to have outstanding sommeliers
(England already has good sommeliers) but to train people who are more likely
to sell wine in traditional restaurants (everyone is not supposed to become a
master sommelier)
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