International Certificate in Wine & Spirit (WSET) available at Taylor's University



wine-and-spirits-certification

Are you someone who works for a wine or spirit-related job? Do you serve or sell wine and spirits? Or maybe you are someone who is simply interested in enhancing your wine knowledge?

Working for a wine business, I know that it can be quite tough when you have no basic knowledge of wine. Luckily, I am working directly with a sommelier (that’s wine expert in layman’s terms) that knows wines inside and out. His generosity in sharing information has helped me in getting through a challenging start.

wine-class-red-white

I’ve also attended some casual wine classes to learn a bit more about this very diverse and interesting industry. But then again, if you really want to learn serious, deep matters about wine, I believe that you need to go beyond informal classes to really dig down the subject.

wine-class-certification


In Malaysia, there are only a handful of sommeliers around. They are mostly working in hotels and restaurants but there aren’t many of them. And although this industry is still very small, I think that it has a good potential and the demand for wine experts will rise in the next years to come. Malaysia is a food haven of various cultures and techniques, with people who are big foodies and are willing to travel so far for good food. And the more people who enjoy food, the more chances of people exploring the exquisite delight of food enjoyed with wine or vice versa.
  
food-and-wine-pairing


Great news! At Taylor’s University, you can now receive the International Certificate in Wine & Spirit or WSET for Level 2 and 3.


Taste of character
The perfect fusion of wine with food emits magic to any dining experience. Learn this charm effortlessly with the necessary knowledge, technique and skills regardless if you're an enthusiast, beginner or professional in the hospitality food and beverage industry.

Taylor's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts is well known in the industry for offering highly sought after professional wine training programme. Specifically designed for working adults to further develop their wine knowledge skills. This programme is highly recommended for staffs who sell and serve wine, and to anyone who wishes to enhance their wine knowledge. At the end of the programme, you will master the classifications of wine, match it with the perfect cuisine, recommend the finest drink, improve on wine selling skills and serve wine skillfully.

About WSET®
   WSET® provides both part-time and full-time courses that will provide you with the foundation on how to select, evaluate, taste and serve wine and other alcoholic beverages.
   WSET® is based in London. It is the leading provider of World-Class Qualifications delivering informative and entertaining courses for the wine and spirit industry, and consumers worldwide.
   WSET® is the only wine and spirit education entity approved by the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority, the UK Government's regulator for education.
   Over 17,000 candidates in 38 countries have sat for WSET® exams in 8 different languages.


WSET Level 2
Intermediate Certificate in Wine & Spirit
Provides an in-depth understanding of the principles of wine tasting and evaluation, as well as the nature, history and production of wines and spirits. Also covers basic guidance on appropriate selection, service and understanding of the broad range of alcoholic beverages. Ideal for those who wish to learn more about the subject and for people who want to upgrade their skills and competencies in the customer service and sales functions in the hospitality, wine retail and wholesale industry. After the completion of level 2, you are required to sit for an examination to receive a certification of international recognition from Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET®) upon passing.

At the end of the programme, you will be able to:
   Have an insight of grape growing and wine making
   Interpret the labels of the major alcoholic beverages of the world
   Give guidance on appropriate selection and service
   Know the principles of wine tasting and evaluation
   Give information on the characteristics of spirits and liqueurs and identify major international brands within each category

WSET Level 3
Advanced Certificate in Wine & Spirit
This programme is designed for working adults who want to further enhance their knowledge about wines and spirits. The Level 3 Advanced Certificate gives comprehensive coverage of wines and spirits, with an increased focus on tasting technique and of the application of the knowledge gained. After the completion of level 3, you are required to sit for an examination to receive a certification of international recognition from Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET®) upon passing.

You will have an opportunity to taste a vast selection of wines from major wine producing countries, such as Germany, France, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, South Africa and UK.


At the end of the programme, you will be able to:
   Explain the key factors influencing the production of the principal wines and spirits of the world and how those factors influence the style, quality and price.
   Describe in detail the characteristics of the principal wines and spirits of the world.
   Use knowledge of the principal wines and spirits of the world to make recommendations to customers in a variety of situations.
   Apply the principles of food and wine matching to the key styles of wine available.
   By the use of the WSET® Systematic Approach to Tasting, produce tasting notes and use the information contained within them to identify the style, quality and price band of wines and spirits.
   Provide information for customers and staff on the health issues relating to wines and spirits.
   Provide information and advise for customers and staff on the correct storage and service of wines and spirits.


• Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate awarded by Taylor's University, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts.
•  Upon passing the examination, participants will gain a certification from Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET®), UK.
•  This programme is claimable from Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF).

Course fee includes study packs, notes and wines for tasting

WSET is suitable for:
  • Employees who sell and serve wine
  • Those who wish to upgrade their skills and competencies in customer service and sales functions in the hospitality, wine retail and wholesale industry
  • Anyone who wishes to enhance their wine knowledge



Time
:
9.00am - 5.00pm
Venue
:
Taylor's University, Lakeside Campus
Fee
:
RM3,650 (Level 2), RM 5,000 (Level 3)


Interested? Call Taylor’s University – Centre for Continuing Professional Education at +60356295000 or visit http://www.taylors.edu.my

Be connected with Taylor’s via Facebook at www.facebook.com/TaylorsUniversityCPE

You can also download the WSET brochure here

taylors-university-malaysia


Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, No. 1 Jalan Taylor’s, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Tel. +603 56295000
Fax +603 56295001


Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is Coming!


Melbourne is set to make waves with 200 events across Victoria with a glorious celebration of food and wine: All events on sale 3 December. 


wine-food-festival
Celebration of food and wine

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival presented by Bank of Melbourne will reel in more than 200 events for a global celebration of the bounty of water, 28 February – 16 March 2014.

Over 17 days food and wine lovers are invited to celebrate the world’s ocean and river fare guided by the best seafood chefs, join exclusive behind-the-scenes tours both on and off the water, get amongst it at lively street parties, secure a spot at never-to-be-repeated dinners with Michelin-starred chefs, and much more. Launched as one single program, tickets to all Festival events go on sale 3 December 2013.

The Festival’s hub project and centrepiece of the 2014 program is a bold expression of the Festival theme exploring the cycle of water with a temporary bar, restaurant and raingarden, popping up in the city’s Queensbridge Square.

Following on from the Urban Coffee Farm & Brew Bar in 2013, this ambitious project designed for the second year by HASSELL, anchors three levels to the Yarra’s edge featuring a riverside bar, an open-kitchen restaurant on the concourse and a top-level verdant raingarden. Melbourne chefs including Florent Gerardin (Silo), Jesse Gerner (Anada & Bomba), Adam Liston (Borrowed Space) and Daniel Wilson (Huxtable & Huxtaburger) will bring their take on dishes inspired by the three states of water – liquid, solid and gas - to the restaurant, and by night, the country’s boundary-pushing bartenders will craft one-off cocktails and drinks that celebrate the cycle of water.


food-and-wine-festival-melbourne
Bank of Melbourne World's Longest Lunch

Festival favourite Bank of Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch (28 February) gathers 1,500 lunching revellers at one 500 metre-long table to kick off the first day of the Festival along the banks of the Yarra in Alexandra Park. The three-course menu will be designed by Jacques Reymond, Adam D’Sylva, and Stefano de Pieri and brought to life by Peter Rowland Catering. Celebrating the world’s waterways as the lifeblood of food and wine, each chef will draw on personal connections to the Amazon, Mekong, and Murray-Darling rivers respectively to create a menu made with Victorian produce.

New for 2014, the Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door combines the best of Victoria’s wineries, craft breweries and artisan producers with Group 1 racing on Flemington’s Super Saturday race meeting. The event at the iconic racecourse offers trackside wine tasting and gourmet produce picnics just outside of the city.

Back in Melbourne, budding cooks can learn from Melbourne’s favourite chefs about our city’s diverse culinary heritage at Festival Foodies, an event for kids in Queensbridge Square. For those seeking to explore and debate the social and environmental issues connected with water, the Festival is collaborating with The Wheeler Centre for a one-off talkfest featuring a broad spectrum of speakers on 6 March.

At the hotly anticipated Langham Melbourne MasterClass, 8 – 9 March, learn from and taste the creations of the new wave of young gun chefs alongside global greats of the kitchen as they share their connection with the world’s most precious resource, water. Chilean food forager Rodolfo Guzman (Borago, Santiago), seafood crusader and Spain’s Best Chef Angel Leon (Aponiente, Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain), and Lummi Island locavore Blaine Wetzel (Willows Inn, USA), are among the star-studded line up.
   
Now at the core of the new dedicated wine weekend, 1 – 2 March, Acqua Panna Global Wine Experience returns with benchmark wine tasting guided by a panel of Australia’s most influential winemakers, writers and sommeliers including Rick Kinzbrunner (Giaconda, Beechworth) and Guill de Pury (Yeringberg, Yarra Valley).

Melbourne’s hottest restaurants will pull out all the stops to bring you dining experiences exclusive to the Festival. Brothers Matt and Andrew McConnell join forces for Blood is Thicker than Water, a street party between Casa Ciuccio and Cutler & Co with water and blood-inspired dishes; Darren Purchese (Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio) takes over the historic Johnston Collection for decadent desserts at Swan Lake’s Sweet Seduction; and chef Frank Camorra and food writer Richard Cornish will talk foodies through a gastronomic tour of southern Spain, from the secrets of Spanish seafood to tales of nuns making moreish doughnuts (A Gastro-Tour of Spain, MoVida Aqui).

Learn about and taste the state’s outstanding seafood at events on and off the water. Hook, Lunch & Sinker returns with a fishing trip and lunch at Stokehouse Upstairs lead by The Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year Ollie Gould, or at Melbourne’s Fish Mongrels at Sanford Australia, Melbourne’s wholesale fish hub, take a tour and a first-hand look at wild-caught seafood.


food-and-wine-festival-melbourne
Join other food and wine lovers in this celebration


Foodies are invited to tour through Victoria over Regional Weekend (14 – 16 March) with all Festival events taking place out in the regions. The weekend kicks off with 20 Regional World’s Longest Lunches at spectacular locations across the state including Queenscliff Harbour on the Bellarine Peninsula, among the vines at Elgee Park vineyard in the Mornington Peninsula and overlooking the ocean in Inverloch, Gippsland.

Also over Regional Weekend, join the ultimate ‘60s themed cocktail party at The Dispensary Enoteca (Bendigo), H2007 James Bond vs. Don Draper, as they pit the signature drinks of the two smooth operators against each other. Feast at regional events embracing Victoria’s waterways, from floating down the King River ‘river sledding’ on lilos followed by lunch at Dal Zotto Winery (High Country) for Lilos & Prosecco; to dinner with Ovens River produce in the Alpine Valley at Tani Eat & Drink’s Down by the River.

Union Dining’s Nicky Riemer will bring her provincial style cooking to Bress in the Goldfields for Raining Produce at Bress, and in the High Country, get back to the core of outstanding produce at Philip Lobely Wines’ Water, Wheat and Wine, learning about the role of sun, water and earth in creating wine and artisan bread.

This is just a small taste of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2014. The full program can be viewed from 26 November at melbournefoodandwine.com.au.


28 February – 16 March 2014 All Festival events on sale 3 December 2013