Le Cordon Bleu Logo

An Entry-Level Programme for
Wine Enthusiasts


The Certificate in Wine & Beverage Studies has been designed to build your understanding, awareness and appreciation for the whole spectrum of wine, as well as other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages such as beer, cider, sake, spirits and cocktails, coffee and tea. In our state-of-the-art facilities, students will explore and experience global beverages and their relationship to food and regional specialities.

The Certificate in Wine & Beverage Studies is aimed at people who are looking to develop their knowledge in this specific area to have the confidence and ability to express themselves fully on the subject, and who are passionate and eager to refine their expertise, whether it is for personal use or to fulfil a professional goal.

The certificate can also be used as an entry-level course for those planning to pursue higher levels of wine, beer or spirits qualifications such as our Diploma in Wine, Gastronomy and Management.

The programme includes professional wine tastings and sensory evaluation providing in-depth wine knowledge through practical learning and is designed to be highly interactive. As such, it aims to develop your passion for wine and beverage and provide you with the relevant theory and practice.

The aim of the Certificate in Wine and Beverage Studies is to enable students to:

  • Discover wines from all over the world with tastings that best represent the region or country studied.
  • Explore a large range of hot and cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
  • Understand the basics of wine production and how it influences the taste of the final product.
  • Appreciate a variety of gastronomic cultures through topical food and beverage pairing.
  • Acquire techniques for wine sensory analysis.

1 intake per year (Summer)

Key information

Duration: 3 months | 200 hours
Price: £4,250
Certificate fees include: All course materials, tastings and a set of Le Cordon Bleu sommelier aprons.
Hours per week: Approximately 20 hours of guided learning.
Learners will be required to undertake self-directed, independent study in addition to the nominated Guided Learning Hours for this programme (approx. 90 hours).
Qualification: Certificate (Level 3).
Teaching method: Practical teaching with wine and beverage tastings, field trips, guest lectures, interactive and theory classes as well as workshops and tutorials.
Entry requirements: High school diploma or equivalent, evidence of English language and eligibility to study in the UK. All students must be aged 18 years or over.

Wine Certificate Details

  • Course Structure

    Drawing from the expertise of our Wine Development Manager and Le Cordon Bleu Lecturers, this Level 3 certificate combines practical teaching with wine and beverage tastings, field trips, guest lectures, interactive and theory classes as well as workshops and tutorials.

    • Wine regions of the world: Discover the wine regions of Europe and the New World: North America, South America, Africa and Australasia. Each country will be discussed independently with an examination of the regional qualities of the wine, its terroir, climate and culture.
      This module will be including a variety of in-house practical tastings as well as a field trip to a winery.
    • Wine appreciation and wine handling: Develop a methodical approach to sensory evaluation techniques using an appropriate vocabulary.
      Through tasting sessions, students will become competent in the art of wine tasting through the development of structured tasting notes that will enable them to describe wine in a precise and concise fashion. This unit will also show techniques applied for service of still and sparkling wines, the methods used for ageing and storing wines, the regional trends and give you the expertise to decoding labels.
    • From vineyard to bottle: Explore viticulture, winemaking, maturation and bottling and gain an understanding of how these topics influence the final product. Topics covered include: the identification of the key processes required to produce a wine; consideration of the influences of climate, geography and topography on viticulture and winemaking; methods and process of winemaking; techniques and stages of wine production.
    • Food and beverage pairing: Experience food and beverage pairing with dishes prepared by Le Cordon Bleu chefs enabling you to understand the interaction between food and beverage from a global perspective. Areas discussed will include: a classification of the various types of cuisine and identification of key flavours; the influence of taste in the pairing of food and wine; development of an appropriate vocabulary to describe food and different drinks.
    • Beverages of the world: Develop a structured method to assess a variety of drinks with the same efficiency as wines. Topics discussed include: methods of production, origin and taste of fermented drinks, spirits and other beverages; relevance of proposing alternative drinks; evaluation of the qualities of each product, development of a vocabulary that describes the sensations in the assessment of alcoholic and non- alcoholic beverages. A variety of in-house tastings as well as field trips to a brewery or a distillery will be part of the experience.

  • Who is the programme for?

    The Certificate in Wine & Beverage Studies is aimed at people who are looking to develop their knowledge in this specific area to have the confidence and ability to express themselves fully on the subject of wine and beverage, who are passionate and eager to refine their expertise.

  • What qualification will I gain?

    This certificate course has been accredited as a “Customised Qualification” by national awarding organisation NCFE, and the course measurable learning outcomes have been benchmarked at Level 3 using Ofqual’s Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level descriptors.

  • Term Dates and Apply
    Sorry. The information is not available at the moment.

More Information

How to apply
Find out more
International students
Find out more
Accommodation
Find out more

Request Information

TOP