WSET’s joint initiative with ProWein, the leading international wine and spirits trade fair, has proven a resounding success. 30 young wine students, new to the drinks industry, have just gained the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines.
Among the young students, the average age was 27 years. The youngest was 22, the oldest 30. They came from 10 European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain).
From taking the Level 2 Award in Wines, the young talents added significant depth to their knowledge and skills, building an ideal foundation for their future professional paths.
The qualification covers most aspects of wine: grape growing in the vineyard, production process, climate conditions, the most important grape varieties from leading regions, different wine styles, aspects of wine storage and bottle ageing, as well as the basics of wine service and pairing of food and wine.
In addition to the courses, ProWein and WSET joined forces to offer the students tastings that focussed on specific regions in depth, thanks to the support of the “Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter” (VDP), the “Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico” and “Wines of Portugal”. These tastings were carried out at home with more than 40 selected white, red, rosé, sparkling and liqueur wines. Furthermore, the students were offered an additional class via Zoom where they had the chance to learn about ProWein behind the scenes presented by Bastian Mingers, Director of ProWein.
Rachel Webster, Business Development Director, WSET EMEA, commented: "We have really enjoyed working with these talented young professionals from across Europe. In a difficult year for the industry, the aim was to develop useful and transferrable skills to help this group become future leaders. Running the course by video conference has allowed us to reach a wide and diverse audience, which has been new and exciting for us too. We're looking forward to meeting the students in person at next year's ProWein".
Bastian Mingers, Director of ProWein, adds: “I am very happy we managed to launch an international initiative for young wine talents in cooperation with the WSET – despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of ProWein 2021 it caused. Originally, the final exam had been scheduled for the trade fair this year; this feature now had to be implemented online – which worked ever so well”. He continued: “But nothing can replace the real trade fair; it alone provides both fresh talent and seasoned professionals with the platform for networking, know-how and tasting.”
About ProWein
ProWein is the leading international trade fair for wines and spirits. Each year to the tune of 6,900 exhibitors and over 61,000 trade visitors come to Düsseldorf for focused business. For more than 25 years ProWein has convinced experts with its strict trade visitor concept and unique ranges and has consistently developed from a small wine trade fair into the international No. 1 of the wines and spirits industry. Read more at www.prowein.com.
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