Corporate Members
Plumpton College launched its main wine course, The Higher National Diploma (HND) in Wine Studies, in 1996. It is a two-year full-time programme, that covers all aspects of wine, from the soil to the glass, and is run in association with the University of Brighton and the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.
Roughly half the modules deal with wine production. In the first year the students concentrate on viticulture, looking at topics such as vineyard site selection, vineyard establishment, pest control and canopy management. Plumpton has 12 hectares of vineyard, and some of these are shared out amongst the students so that they get a good idea of vineyard work. All students learn to drive a tractor. The students closely monitor the development of their vines, and at harvest, have to produce a report explaining the quantity and quality of the vintage they helped produce.
Meanwhile the second year students are busy in the winery and the lab. Part of the Wine Studies Centre at Plumpton is a semi-commercial winery where each student makes around 750 litres of wine. As England does not have a winemaking tradition of its own, Plumpton can teach the best from all schools of thought on winemaking. Other subjects taught include sensory evaluation, marketing, enterprise and financial management and the WSET Diploma, which can be gained as an additional qualification.
Students with a more scientific bent can choose subjects such as Ecology, Statistics and Microbiology. These will allow them to progress on to the BSc Biological Sciences (Wine Studies), a 16 month top-up after the HND. On this programme, the students study advanced subjects such as Applied Vine Physiology and Wine Quality Control in considerable depth. They also complete a three-module project, often based on original research.
Contact details: Ditchling
Road, Plumpton, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 3AE E-mail: plumpton@plumpton.ac.uk Website: www.plumpton.ac.uk
Staff teaching wine-related subjects who are involved with the corporate
membership of the AWE are:
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Situated near London Bridge the Wine & Spirit Education Trust
(WSET®) is an independent, not-for-profit charity founded in 1969 to provide
training in wines and spirits to those in the trade and for the general
public. It is the only wine and spirit education entity approved by the
Qualifications & Curriculum Authority, the UK Government's regulator for
education.
There are 3 strands to their activities: • Qualifications It is the responsibility of the operating division, WSET Awards, to develop learning outcomes and set examinations leading to a number of qualifications in wine and spirit education. WSET has five levels of qualification courses starting with a basic one-day course.
• Education Partners WSET oversee the appointment, administration and support of an extensive network of third-party teaching and examination centres around the world, the WSET Approved Programme Providers and the WSET Recommended Tutor Scheme.
• Delivery of courses at WSET School The WSET School, based at their London headquarters, is the flagship in terms of course delivery. WSET also run events for those that just want to understand a bit more about wine, while having a fun evening out, these include food and wine events and specialist tutored tastings. In the academic year 2004/5 over 15,640 candidates sat WSET's examinations in 28 countries and 7 languages.
Contact details: International Wine & Spirit Centre 39-45 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF Phone: 020 7089 3800 Fax: 020 7089 3847 E-mail: wset@wset.co.uk Website: www.wset.co.uk
The educational staff of the Trust who are involved with the corporate membership of the AWE are listed below with their direct lines and email addresses:
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