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By
Virginia Matthews of The Independent
Some
studentsmay think they have good noses, but can they cut it
in the wine industry?
The student grant may not run to regular cases
of champagne or Premier Cru, but for graduates with a taste
for the finer things in life, a career in the wine trade offers
an alluring mix of business and pleasure. Whether you opt
to become a wine merchant based in a retail outlet, or a specialist
buyer or importer who travels overseas to seek out new varieties,
career paths in the wine industry are rarely structured. Passion
for the grape – as well as sound industry qualifications
– tend to be seen as far more important than academic
achievement.
The salaries aren’t enormous –
trainee managers can expect to earn around £15,000 to
£18,000 and even top earners don’t necessarily
get beyond the £35,000 or £40,000 mark, but the
perks in terms of discounts on products and extensive travel
can be very attractive. Although the study of wine has yet
to feature on the country’s growing list of undergraduate
degree subjects, the four core awards offered by the UK based
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the largest wine
training organisation in the world, are an essential precursor
to a career in the field.
Qualifications range from the level 1 foundation
certificate in wines or level 2 intermediate certificate in
wines and spirits to the level 4 diploma in wines and spirits;
which includes 128 hours of classroom time and covers subjects
such as viticulture and production, marketing and global trends,
such as old world versus new world wines. It is also a recognised
stepping- stone to achieving the ultimate accolade of becoming
a Master of Wine.
While around 80 per cent of the students trained
each year by the WSET are already working in the industry,
the rest are what chief executive Ian Harris calls “passionate
hobbyists.” He says: “Being a bon viveur who loves
good wine and good company is very different from having the
commercial nous necessary to become a top-class wine merchant.
Although tasting is an essential part of the education process,
it’s important to recognise that there’s a lot
of hard work to do if you want to make this a career.”
While wine was once steeped in elitism and
cellar snobbery, Harris believes this has changed. “The
democratisation of wine began in the Sixties with the launch
of the first Oddbins and it has continued via the supermarkets
ever since. The love of wine has moved from being very public
school to being something that all of us can enjoy.”
Although most people have a natural “nose”, it’s
only by specialist training that we can learn to develop a
true appreciation of the finest Shiraz or Soave. “Wine
tasting is a multisensory experience and to understand its
full complexity, it is necessary to look at and smell the
wine as well as taste it. Our courses are very successful
at harnessing a natural nose and bringing out the very best
in it,” says Harris.
Majestic Wines, now the UK’s biggest
wine warehouse chain with 144 stores, recruits around 150
graduates a year as trainee managers; the majority of whom
will be sponsored for a WSET course. Says Ailsa Thorpe, Majestic’s
HR manager: “We’re always willing to consider
people with experience rather than a degree, but on the whole,
we believe that graduates tend to be bright, sparky people
who can engage with our customers and learn a terrific amount
about our product in a reasonable amount of time. “We
don’t mind what the degree subject is, how long ago
they did it or whether it was a 2.1 or not, just as long as
the cultural fit is there and they’re able to forge
relationships with customers.”
Typically, a graduate at Majestic begins at
trainee manager level, is promoted to assistant manager and,
ultimately, achieves store manager level, all within two to
three years. With a portfolio of converted pubs, car showrooms
and garages up and down the UK; as well as three outlets in
Northern France, trainees are encouraged to work in different
locations so they can see at first hand the differences in
market conditions between, say, Aberdeen and Aylesbury.But
if you don’t love wine, there’s little point applying.
“Nobody expects a student to regularly
blow £15 on a single bottle, or to talk with any knowledge
about different champagne vintages, but we do expect our applicants
to know what kinds of wine they prefer and why,” says
Thorpe. “We can teach people a massive amount about
regions, viticulture and modern marketing, but if they don’t
basically like the stuff we sell, this really isn’t
the right job for them.” Once in the firm, retail is
king, she adds. “It is certainly possible to diversify
into a wine buying career later, but first and foremost, Majestic
is all about the shops and that’s where we expect your
heart to lie.”
May,
19 - 2008
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