Level 4 WSET in SA

The Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits, the flagship qualification of the UK-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), is to launch in South Africa in May 2014 as an online distance learning programme.

You can now take internationally recognised WSET courses in most of the major centres, see here


The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is the largest global provider of wines & spirits qualifications. Currently available in 60 countries and in 17 languages and had over 43,000 people sit and exam last year alone.

WSET has four levels of wine courses, plus two stand-alone spirits courses, most available either as Distance Learning or as classroom courses. Unlike other educational systems, you do not necessarily need to do all the levels in order.

Chenin in the USA

South African Chenin Blanc impressed at the annual Wine Bloggers Conference 2013, which was held in Penticton, British Columbia and attracted some 300 influencers from across the social media spectrum in the US and Canada.

 

Wines of South Africa (WOSA) partnered with the Wine Bloggers Conference to build awareness of Chenin Blanc in North America, by hosting “The Secrets of Chenin Blanc”.

The seminar was presented by Courtney Luick, the Communications Manager of Cape Classics – the New York based wine importer founded by South Africa-born Andre Shearer in 1992 and which represents 17 of South Africa's finest estates and labels.

“While Chenin Blanc continues to gain traction in the US, the varietal still remains largely under-the-radar in North America, so the seminar provided a focused opportunity to engage with the wine blogging community, and demonstrate Chenin Blanc’s versatility and South Africa’s stance as a strong wine producing nation,” said Luick.