What is a Wine Consultant / Conseiller en Sommellerie ?
The “Sommelier Wine Consultant” / “Conseiller en Sommellerie” in French, selects the products to offer to his/her customers: wines and spirits. Before negotiations with suppliers, he/she must first proceed in the tasting. Procurement must be consistent with the framework, scope, reputation and customer requirements. He/she thus establishes the list of wines, after their evaluation and determines their year of issue. He/she must ensure the management of all alcoholic beverages available on the market. He/she also advises the customer on food and wine pairing. He/she is able to serve or explain the wine service to customers.
From a technical point of view, he/she must understand the principle grape varieties and the production of wines, know the great growths and producers of renowned wines and the different types of wines, as well as their respective characteristics.
In general, we find “Sommelier Wine Consultants / Conseiller en Sommellerie” in the restaurant business, merchant houses, production, wine tourism, sales or distribution whereby the principal function is to select wines, negotiate their terms of sale, present them and advise them directly or indirectly to customers and consumers.
The Sommelier Wine Consultant is an expert in wines, spirits, liqueurs, champagnes… His/her knowledge enables one to advise clients according to their tastes, desires and means. He/she is also responsible for inventory management in the company. He/she advises third parties on the wines that will appear on one’s restaurant wine menu or on a retailer’s product price list.
What are the objectives of the training program and what degree am I awarded upon completion ?
- Wine and spirits procurement
- Tasting wines and spirits
- Manage cellars and develop commercial offers
- Consult clients on wine and alcoholic beverages
- Organize promotional events and animate wine tastings
Anyone who is passionate about wines and spirits and holds a high school diploma
• 567 hours of theoretical training
2 Sessions per year:
Between April 2022 to September 2022, start of courses on 12th April 2022
Between September 2022 to March 2023, start of courses on 12th September 2022
• plus 280 hours of work placement / company internship
- Sommelier
- Wine shop personnel
- Wine taster
- Sommelier Sales coordinator
- Beverage department manager
- Wine and spirits sales personnel – import/export
- Wine journalist
- Etc …
What are the details of this training program, price ?
PREPARING THE WINE CONSULTANT DIPLOMA / CONSEILLER EN SOMMELLERIE, REGISTERED BY THE NATIONAL RECIPIENT OF RECOGNIZED PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS (RNCP)
National Directory of Professional Certifications State Diploma recognized and controlled by the French government.
- Tasting techniques and sensory analysis
- In-depth study of French vineyards
- In-depth study of foreign vineyards
- Knowledge of spirits, cold and hot beverages
- Wine and food pairing and practical workshops in collaboration with chefs
- Sales and commercialization techniques
- Fundamentals in Viticulture and Oenology
- Wine industry and legislation
- Wine markets and marketing
- Commercial management and creation of a cellar / cellar management
- Practical sommelier workshops
- Technical visits
- Following the vintage – in the vineyard and at the vat house
- Participation in blending and futures
- Student prizes
- Conferences of the Interprofessional Committees (Wine Trade Bureaus) from the various wine regions
- Former students
- Owners, winegrowers, sommeliers, merchant houses, etc …
| French wines: | Wine tasting procedure and techniques: | Spirits and aperitifs: | Viticulture and oenology: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generalities
Bordeaux global Bordeaux history Bordeaux – Côtes Bordeaux AOP and IGs Bordeaux – Graves and PL Bordeaux – Libournais and AOPs Bordeaux Sauternais and other sweet AOPs Bordeaux – Médoc Southwest – global Southwest – Bergerac Southwest – Gascogne Cahors and Gaillac Jurancon- Pyrenees Burgundy global Burgundy Grand Crus Burgundy Côtes d’Or Burgundy Chalon Burgundy Macon Burgundy Chablis Beaujolais Champagne Jura Savoie Corsica Provence Loire Valley: global Loire Valley: Nantes and Anjou Loire Valley: Touraine Loire Valley: Center and Limagne Rhone Valley global Rhone North and South Languedoc Roussillon Alsace Review: Bordeaux and Burgundy review: French wine regions global |
Fundamentals
Visual examination Olfactory examination Gustatory examination Analysis and Synthesis Descriptive vocabulary Tasting notes Method (review) White varieties – Sauvignon, Semillon, Chard… Red varieties – Cab., Merlot, Pinot… Bordeaux blends Rating / scoring wines Comparative tests (odd man out) Acidity Alcohol and sugars Exogenous odors Temperature and aeration Different wine glasses Sparkling wines Vintage Balance Commercial tasting Sweet white wines Timed tastings Tannins and spices Floral aromas Defects Regions Regions – blind Vertical Varietals – blind Commenting / Summarizing Blind tasting practice |
Distilled beverages Fortified wines Aperitifs
Cocktails Spirits Calvados Liqueurs Whisky Brandy White and Brown liquor – rums Cigars |
The Grape vine
Growth cycle Grape varieties Terroir and geology Composition of the grape berry Dry White wine vinification Sweet White wine vinif Red wine vinif Rosé vinif Wine grower calendar (review) Disease and parasites in viticulture Vinif alternative: carbonic, thermo Wood and barrel aging, maturing Sparkling wine vinif Sulfur (S02) Wine defects MLF , White wine maturing on lees Review |
| Wine Industry & Legislation: | Food and Wine pairing: | Beverages: | Technical field trips: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification of alcoholic beverages: fermented
Classification of alcoholic beverages: distilled Wine Industry 1: Production Legislation: Labeling (basics) Wine Industry 2: Commercialization General Logistics and distributtion Legislation: appellations Legislation: classification Purchasing The International Wine market Commercial management: Management (overview) Pricing of wines – catalog – listing VAT Invoicing Reception merchandise Cellar management – stock control (FIF0, LIFO) Finances and inventory control Pricing (case study) linear Cash register – sales Inventory |
Basics of Food and Wine pairing
Wine lists (preparing) Gastronomy Bordeaux Gastronomy Burgundy Gastronomy Alsace Wine and Cheese workshop Gastronomy Beaujolais Wine lists (cont.) Types of wine and cuisson of dishes Champagne Wine selling (basics) Gastronomy Loire Valley Gastronomy Rhone Alpes Defending student wine list Provincial cooking Wine selling (pitching / suggesting) indiv. students Gastronomy Languedoc Roussillon Wine and Chocolate workshop Gastronomy Corsica Selling other (non-wine) beverages Gastronomy Jura / Savoie Wine lists (finished) Exam preparation |
Cold beverages:
Beer production (brewing) and tasting Bottled waters Non-alcoholic cold beverages and virgin cocktails Hot beverages: Coffees Teas |
Coop. and/or merchant house and Planet Bordeaux
Saint Emilion (Reds and Les Cordeliers Sparkling) Médoc Cognac – Pineau de Charentes Blending at sponsor Sauternes Wine shop cellar Bordeaux Wine Tradeshow Madiran Côtes de Bordeaux |
| Wine service: | Wines of the World – | Wine marketing: | French wine language: |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The profession of Sommelier The tools of a Sommelier Bottle opening – presentation The model cellar Aerating Decanting Service Protocol – pre-service Sparklings Test runs Decanting – aerating (review procedure/gestures) Sparklings (review and practice) Conservation open bottle |
South Africa
Portugal USA Hungary – Tokay Greece Spain Italy Germany New Zealand Australia Chile Argentina |
Overview, history, and principals
The marketplace The stakeholders The consumer and segmenting Market study and marketing research The marketing mix The promotional mix Sensory marketing Point of sale POS (organization) Web marketing and social networks Marketing case study Communication doc |
French language learning courses around the world of Wine
Food and wine pairing tasting workshops (chef and sommelier) Promotional events and Wine tourism: Presentation Types of events Regulations Sponsoring Planning and organizing an event Managing suppliers Selection of wines and organizing a tasting Wine tourism and reception at the wine estate Benchmarking event return on investment Different sectors of Wine tourism and stakeholders Oral expression |
The tuition price of this training program is 6875€ which includes a reservation/pre-enrollment deposit fee of 1 500€.
More information about registration details
The price includes:
- French wines & World Wines
- Wine tasting procedure and techniques
- Spirits and aperitifs
- Viticulture and oenology
- Wine Industry & Legislation
- Commercial management
- Food and Wine pairing
- Cold beverages
- Hot beverages
- Technical field trips
- Wine service
- Trade conferences and guest speakers
- Wine marketing
- French wine language
- Promotional events and Wine tourism
- Tests
How does the training take place ? (Courses + internship)
The training takes place at the 108 Quai des Chartrons in Bordeaux.
9 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 5 pm
From Monday to Friday.
- In school classes go from:
September – January - Internship during the months of:
February – May - Exams and thesis defense:
June
- In school classes go from:
February – May - Internship during the months of:
Mid-June – August - Exams and thesis defense:
Mid-June (Exams) Late September (thesis defense/juries)
What are the dates for the next training sessions ?
- Spring session starting April 2022 : from 12th April 2021 to September 2022
- Autumn session starting September 2022 : from 12th September 2022 to March 2023
How to come to Bordeaux and do the training?
Concerning the Visa:
If we accept you as a candidate, the attestation (proof) of enrollment that we provide will allow you stay in France as a student up until the final jury exams and this includes the 6 week internship if you decide to do it in France.
If you are not a citizen of the European Union country, you must go to the French Embassy or Consul in your country and present your CAFA enrollment attestation to procure your visa. We have students from all over the world who come to the CAFA Sommelier school, getting a visa is not a problem.
CAFA Wine School / CAFA Formations has no housing and has no partnership with a housing organization.
On the other hand, we can help you and guide you in finding accommodation as much as possible.
To help you in your search:
Our address is the 108 Quai des Chartrons 33000 Bordeaux (opposite the Hangar 14)
The tram B passes just in front of the school (tram stop: Cours du Médoc)
Most students look for room-mates online as Bordeaux is a giant University town with over one quarter of a million students (second largest student population in Europe), so people are looking for room-mates or people are renting rooms for students all the time.
** It is a good idea however to organize your lodging in advance, as most schools start at the beginning of September in Bordeaux **
Prices range anywhere from 250- 400 Euros/month for sharing (room-mate) a room and 400 – 600 Euros/month for having your own room completely furnished
Here are some useful links in your search :
For sharing with a room-mate (« colocataire » in French):
About the internship and career plans?
Your training program includes 6 weeks of internship during the period devoted to this. You have the opportunity to do your internship in France and abroad.
We ask that the students try to find their own internship (it is unpaid, it is not a job), but we certainly help if we can; especially if the internship is in France, as we have built a massive network with Wine and Food companies for the last 30 years. We also have contacts throughout the world, many in Asia.
How to register ? Is what I can get a quote?
PRE-REGISTRATION FORM – SOMMELLERIE
ADVISOR OVERALL COST OF TRAINING: € 6,875
- The courses given in our school in the center of Bordeaux, in the wine merchants’ area
- All subjects taught
- Tastings
- Field visits
- The provision of flavors and solutions
- Ongoing assessments
- Educational materials
- Internship(s) in company
- The intervention of experienced and qualified trainers
- Practical work
- Preparation for the examination
- Registration for the exam
- Sponsorship of promotion by a renowned institution
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